About This Structure
A sloping stone feature uncovered in the northeast corner of the triangle-shaped swamp during Season 10, connecting the paved area (dated to the 1200s) to the stone pathway that runs along the swamp's eastern edge. The ramp was discovered after the team drained the swamp following a magnetometer survey by Jeremy Church of Panther Geoscience that had identified several metallic anomalies in the area.
Surveyor Steve Guptill measured the elevation of the feature and found the lower edge sat approximately one foot below sea level, consistent with the paved area's average depth, while the upper portion was only four inches below sea level, confirming a deliberate incline. Dr. Ian Spooner examined the ramp and told Rick Lagina it shared characteristics with the cobblestone path, including the type and arrangement of the stones. Archaeologist Miriam Amirault directed the grid survey and sample collection at the site. Gary Drayton recovered a square-shanked fastener from the spoils during the excavation.
Carbon-14 testing of organic material found beneath the second layer of stones in the ramp returned a date of 1495 to 1656, placing its construction in roughly the same period as the stone road and stone pathway. The ramp appeared to function as a transition between the level paved area, which Dr. Spooner described as a staging area, and the pathway leading uphill toward the interior of the island and the Money Pit. The three features together formed what the team interpreted as an infrastructure system: a working surface at the shore, a ramp for moving heavy loads uphill, and a road leading to the construction site.
Historical Context
Lagina team
Where It Was Found
Found at Swamp.
