Roman iron industry found in Flanders

A construction site for an office park in Belgium's eastern Flanders has uncovered the remains of a large-scale Roman iron smelting plant from around 100 CE, the first evidence of such activity in the area.

Flemish law allows archaeologists first crack at any major construction site, and significant finds can hold up construction for some time while plans and studies are made. In some cases, projects could be stopped. 

The area has also yielded Neolithic and Bronze Age artifacts, as well as signs of a military encampment from around 1700, but the excitement is the Roman settlement. 

One of the archaeologists told broadcaster VRT “There are remains of houses, roads and graves, but this is the first time we have also found traces of iron production. It’s the first evidence of Roman iron production in this area. This gives us an insight into the lives of people in the second century. They smelted ore into iron and used it to make tools.”