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scientist in France may be red-hot on the lead of a long - lose canal that theRomansbuilt over two millenary ago while battling the Celts .
The watercourse , known as the Marius Canal , was establish around 2,100 years ago within the Rhône River delta . It was the first major romish urine hydraulic lineament in what was then Gaul , predate dyke , watermills and aqueducts . According to historical invoice , it was build between 104 and 102 B.C. by the troop ofJulius Caesar ’s uncle , the general Gaius Marius . Its construction was meant to aid efforts in the Cimbrian Wars , a serial of conflicts between theRoman RepublicandCeltictribes , the Cimbri and Teutones , that were migrating to the south from Jutland , present - mean solar day Denmark .
An aerial view of Arles next to the Rhône River in France. Scientists may have found the remains of a Roman-era canal south of Arles built by the uncle of Julius Caesar.
At that time , the Roman Republic was protecting its Modern province in Gaul , a region that covered what is now France , Belgium and region of westerly Germany . But the invasion of the Celts put that land , as well as the rest of the Roman Republic , at danger .
" The Romanist general Marius came to southern Gaul in 104 B.C. to head off the risk that the Cimbri and Teutones desolate Gaul and Spain would extend to Italy,“Simon Loseby , an honorary reader in chivalric account and an expert on southern Gaul at the University of Sheffield in the U.K. who was not involved in the discipline , told Live Science . " He headed a very large force , and urgently needed to supply it by ocean from Rome . "
So , Marius ordinate the canal be built so it could supply his troops . It bypassed the perfidious Rhône River mouth and tie the city of Arles to the Mediterranean , enabling the good passageway of declamatory supply boats . Ultimately , the channel was a winner , and the Romans defeat the Cimbri and Teutones in 101 B.C. The epithelial duct was subsequently gifted to Rome ’s friend in the region , the Greek liquidation of Massalia , now Marseille , which is said to have gained significant revenue from its commercial use before the canal vaporize from the historical phonograph record a few centuries later .
A painting depicting the defeat of the Cimbri by the Roman general Gaius Marius in what is now France. By Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps, circa 1833.
" Despite all the research carry out in late centuries , the Marius Canal has n’t been found , " field lead authorJoé Juncker , a geoarchaeologist at the University of Strasbourg in France , separate Live Science in an e-mail . It was last mentioned by the Romanic author Pliny the Elder in the first century A.D. , but its tracing have all but vanish .
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Finding the canal
In 2013 , a geophysical study of a delta in the Vigueirat marshes just to the south of Arles let out an underwater feature film that scientist hypothesized could be an ancient epithelial duct . Subsequent excavationsaround the website unearthed 69 slice of Romanic ceramics , two ancient wooden stake and two broad cobblestone political program . Radiocarbon datingof the stakes place them within the first to quaternary century A.D. , while organic materials within the platformsdated between the first century B.C. and third 100 A.D.when the Marius Canal would have been used .
Since the site ’s discovery 12 years ago , researchers have been trying to gather evidence to sustain whether this area really hosts the long - lost Marius Canal .
In the raw subject , Juncker and his squad drilled sediment cores from the ancient canal and its bank and take physical mensuration to equate with the geophysical sketch conduct in 2013 .
" The canal length , width , orientation course , deposit content and the measure carbon 14 dates confirm that it was a navigable epithelial duct in papistical times , partially excavated in a former branch of the Rhône and an ancient lagune , " Juncker said .
Natural tributaries in river channels are commonly around 360 to 590 feet ( 110 to 180 meters ) wide , while the new analysis prove the putative Marius Canal is much narrower at around 98 feet ( 30 m ) wide . This aligns with other Roman epithelial duct . This breadth would have enabled bombastic papistical ship to voyage the area , the generator report in the subject field , published in the April return of theJournal of Archaeological Science : story .
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The newfangled research strengthens the case that there was a duct here , Loseby said . " It ’s yet another indication of the Romanist capability to conceive of and take in charge heavy infrastructural project at speed , despite relative technological limitations . "
Both Loseby and Juncker trust future archaeological discovery will further establish whether the canal is the Marius Canal . Specifically , they trust excavations could lead to the uncovering of quays ( landing place platforms for ship ) or towing path ( waterways where gulp animate being would tow boats ) , which could aid substantiate the enjoyment of the epithelial duct and the duration of its use .
" Geoarchaeology is a science full of electric potential , but we must bear in nous that , without confirmation from archeologic studies , it is not possible to attribute this canal to Marius for the moment , " said Juncker . enquiry there is on-going .
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