2,000-Year-Old Brick Has An Amazing Story
- 11 years ago
A 2,000-year-old brick has a fascinating history.
It’s hard to believe a simple brick could have such a complex history.
A master's student named Kristin Converse had been exploring a place in Washington state known as the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
She noticed a different colored brick in an unusual group that did not appear to be of local origin.Footprints of a cat could be seen in one corner of the piece.
This group of bricks had already been researched in the early 1980’s by an archeologist who believed they had Roman roots and were shipped to the United States from England. Approximately 2000 years ago, a part of Britain was under Roman control and was known as Britannia. Converse tested the bricks further and found their chemical composition indicated them to be Roman bricks made from English clay.
Upon extensive research, it was discovered the bricks had been imported in the 1800’s to the Fort Vancouver area by the global trading enterprise known as the Hudson's Bay Company, which was originally founded in 1670.
Today we have a signature piece of history, where a 2,000 year old brick made by Romans in modern day England, ends up in a building in the American Northwest. When that square block was awaiting the kiln, a kitty walked across the wet clay leaving a foot print impression that can still be seen today.
As an abundance of bricks have been shipped to our country, there may be many more with a tale of their own just waiting to be discovered.
It’s hard to believe a simple brick could have such a complex history.
A master's student named Kristin Converse had been exploring a place in Washington state known as the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
She noticed a different colored brick in an unusual group that did not appear to be of local origin.Footprints of a cat could be seen in one corner of the piece.
This group of bricks had already been researched in the early 1980’s by an archeologist who believed they had Roman roots and were shipped to the United States from England. Approximately 2000 years ago, a part of Britain was under Roman control and was known as Britannia. Converse tested the bricks further and found their chemical composition indicated them to be Roman bricks made from English clay.
Upon extensive research, it was discovered the bricks had been imported in the 1800’s to the Fort Vancouver area by the global trading enterprise known as the Hudson's Bay Company, which was originally founded in 1670.
Today we have a signature piece of history, where a 2,000 year old brick made by Romans in modern day England, ends up in a building in the American Northwest. When that square block was awaiting the kiln, a kitty walked across the wet clay leaving a foot print impression that can still be seen today.
As an abundance of bricks have been shipped to our country, there may be many more with a tale of their own just waiting to be discovered.