Waterlogged Wells Preserve Ancient Building Techniques
Preserved timber reveals construction and repair.
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of in . 719 and 396 BC; this not .
had been with a . A and .
will the more . That in .
Source: UCL Archaeology South-East; Petersfield Online, 2026-11-05.
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Try 2 questions about this story, then explain one idea in your own words. Check the text whenever you need to.
In this lesson: Check the scope of a dating result and separate evidence from planned analysis.
Grammar in this story: Had been repaired places a repair before discovery
had been repaired with a wooden shovel blade
Had been repaired is a past perfect passive form. It describes a repair that happened before the archaeologists uncovered the well, without naming the person who repaired it.
Your turn
Give one detail showing how a well was repaired and one question that further analysis may answer.
See one possible answer
A wooden shovel blade had been used to repair a hollow-log well. Tree-ring analysis may establish more precisely when the Roman timbers date from.
Your answer can be different. Give a reason and use your own words.
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