I had the privilege to spend a summer in the British Isles back in
1972. One of the places we visited was Hadrian's Wall built by the
Roman's. I forget exactly where it was, but it was a dividing wall
between England and Scotland. At this particular spot there was one of
the smaller outposts along the wall. The foundations of all the
buildings were there along with a portion of the gates. There was also
a portion of the stone roadway through the gate. Cut into the roadway
were ruts for the wheeled conveyances. These started out as wide
channels and narrowed down to about 4" right where the gate would be.
They were quite deep so I don't think they were worn there. IMO they
were cut into the stone. That way when a wagon or chariot went though
the gate, the driver didn't have to worry about a hub or part of the
cart hitting the gate's sentry posts. In fact, one could probably drive
full speed through the gate without hitting it. The groves guided the
wheels into the center of the gate. In a way it was a very early form
of a railroad track.
Regards,
Blake
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