Roman Wooden Water Pipe Found Beneath Belgian City Street

Archaeology Magazine ^ | May 9, 2025 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

That was some crapachino he drank...

[Red Badger]

Must have gone to a Starbucks..................

[SunkenCiv]

Kenny wasn’t born until like 20 years after this pipe even got installed...

[SunkenCiv]

Is such a thing even possible? Yes, it is.

[SunkenCiv]

My pleasure, and thanks for the kind remarks!!

[SunkenCiv]

I watched the local gubmint replace the last ones on Main, there was a hole where the street for the old biz section is, and several of them were hosed down, dried off, and preserved in the museum. The cross street's wood pipes were replaced about thirty or so years earlier. If it ain't broke... :^)

[Mean Daddy]

In the midwest we had orangeburge. Rolls of tar paper like piping I believe taped together.

[SunkenCiv]

Yup, that was a ten-year substitute for cast iron sewer pipes, during WWII, when iron/steel was needed for the war effort. And kudos, most people have never heard of it, I have, but have never seen one in inventory (used ones have long since been replaced).

[Mean Daddy]

I didn’t know that and it makes sense that they would use it during the war effort. Years ago, we had the waste line from our house to our septic tank replaced and it was cobbled together with clay tile, cast iron and orangeburg. Septic guy was an old timer & he knew what it was.

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, the guy would have to have been. :^)

[TigersEye]

If it ain't broke...

Heck, those Roman water pipes look like they could still be serviceable.

[SunkenCiv]

Wood that I look that good when I’m that age.

[TigersEye]

Good one! :)