A 2,000-year-old Roman stone road under active archaeological restoration in central Portugal, whose construction closely resembles the cobblestone road and paved features discovered in the Oak Island swamp.
About This Site
The Roman Road of Alqueidao da Serra is an ancient paved route in central Portugal dating back approximately 2,000 years to the period of Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. The road is under active archaeological restoration led by archaeologist Jorge Figueiredo, who has documented its construction techniques including the use of fitted stone surfaces, drainage features, and layered foundations designed to support heavy traffic across varied terrain. Roman road-building technology spread throughout Europe during and after the imperial period, and was adopted and adapted by subsequent cultures including the Portuguese, who employed similar techniques in their own infrastructure projects through the medieval period and the Age of Discovery.
Connection to Oak Island
In Season 9, Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, Alex Lagina, and Peter Fornetti traveled to Portugal with historical researcher Corjan Mol and Templar historian Joao Fiandeiro. At Alqueidao da Serra, archaeologist Jorge Figueiredo showed the group the 2,000-year-old Roman stone road he was restoring, which closely resembled the paved road discovered in the Oak Island swamp. Joao explained that larger stones would have been used as a base when building such a road through swampland. Jorge confirmed that other cultures, including the Portuguese, could have copied the Roman construction technology, and showed the team a stone path nearly identical to the cobblestone path found on Oak Island the previous year.
When shown photographs of the Oak Island road, Jorge agreed that the Portuguese could have built it and confirmed the technology originated in Europe. Earlier in the investigation, antiquities expert Terry Deveau had independently concluded the Oak Island road was Portuguese and similar to roads built in Europe during the 1500s. The comparison at Alqueidao da Serra provided direct physical evidence supporting a Portuguese origin for infrastructure found on Oak Island.
Fieldwork Notes
Visited during Season 9 by Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, Alex Lagina, Peter Fornetti, Corjan Mol, and Joao Fiandeiro. Archaeologist Jorge Figueiredo led the group through the restoration site, comparing Roman and Portuguese road-building techniques to features found in the Oak Island swamp. Photographs of the Oak Island road were presented on site for direct comparison.
