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Archaeology and MetrosSubway construction inherently concerns archaeologists as it can destruct valuable remains from history. But underground construction can also provide the best opportunities for the scientists to discover and excavate such objects. And on-site displays of those artifacts can make the new subway stations very special places. Scientist's Brush versus Tunnel Boring MachineSubway construction is expensive and inherently involves much digging, as does archaeology. So at best, both go hand in hand. In archaeologically sensitive areas, archaeologists have two concerns: Firstly, preventing the accidental destruction of valuable information and objects from the past, and secondly, utilizing the opportunity to do research and excavation while the earth is being opened up anyways.Time is money, so the agendas of archaeologists and subway builders are often contradictory. While archaeological examination, manual digging, careful conservation and documentation can be very time consuming, subway construction must proceed quickly as it involves lots of staff, time-sensitive procedures like ground water pumping or use of expensive tunnel boring machines. Someone has to decide whether a find will be removed, destroyed or encased within the subway's structures. Unexpected discoveries can cause delays and huge impacts on building costs when plans have to be reconsidered. To prevent this, subway tunnels are sometimes built underneath historical layers. Nevertheless, lots of important objects from the past have been unearthed in many cities around the world during subway construction.
City ExamplesAthens: When two new metro lines were planned to be opened on occasion of the Olympic Games in 2004, this arose much concern in the international archaeological community since tunnels, ventilation shafts, and five stations located in the heart of the ancient city could destroy valuable information about the city's history. Athens has strict preservation laws, and the construction turned out to be an archaeological milestone. 30,000 artifacts were found on 70,000 square meters, the largest excavation project in Greece so far. The Ministry of Culture now features the most important of the excavated objects in permanent displays at three metro stations in the city centre (Syntagma, Evangelismos, and Academia) and at the University of Athens, Zographou campus [2].Cologne: Right in the city centre, the construction of a 4 km long North-South light-rail tunnel between 2004 and 2010 means digging in an area of 30 km2. This spawned the biggest archaeological project ever in Cologne [20], while construction costs skyrocketed. Science determines the pace of construction here, and a team of up to 100 scientists and technicians has unearthed many archaeological artifacts from the city's Roman history, including a 2000 year-old wreck of a Roman freight ship and the remains of Roman wharfs [19]. Istanbul: Once known as Constantinople, Istanbul has many layers of cultural history below. Four archaeological sites lie in the path of the subway line currently under construction. Tunnels between the stations will be 30 m deep to run below the historical ruins, but shafts for escalators and concourses will penetrate the archaeological layer. A shipwreck has been discovered at Yenikapi, which was a harbor during Byzantine times. The pieces of the boat, which dates to either the 11th or 13th century, are being moved and eventually will be displayed as an exhibit in the station [17]. London: The Jubilee Line Extension Project has cooperated from the early planning stages in 1992 with the Museum of London Archaeology. The successful cooperation helped to prevent unplanned delays and lead to valuable discoveries about London's history [5]. Los Angeles: Subway construction aroused curiosity, not of archaeologists but palaeontologists, when a treasure trove of fossils was unearthed between Wilshire/Vermont and North Hollywood stations. The objects are not displayed in stations, though. About 2000 fossils could be preserved, dating back to up to 16.5 million years ago, including many fish species new to science, as well as bones and teeth of mammoth, mastodon, camel, bison and ground sloth as well as parts of redwood trees and other plants [6, 7, 8]. Mexico City: At Pino Suárez station, an entire Aztec pyramid sits in the passageway between lines 1 and 2. During construction of line 8 in the 1990s, thousands of historic objects large and small were uncovered, including an entire Aztec neighborhood and a colonial-era Spanish hospital dating back to the 16th century. The finds delayed subway construction and caused disputes over urban priorities [14]. Naples: Metro line 1 extension parallel to the coast leads along the ancient city wall through archaeologically interesting territory. Excavated objects are displayed in Museo station. In the future, more stations with archaeological exhibits will follow, including Duomo and Municipio stations (both to be opened in 2008) [9, 15]. New York: During construction of a replacement for South Ferry station, the project hit a 15-meters-long section of a stone wall that archaeologists believe is a unique remnant of the original battery. It has probably been built in the late 17th century and protected the Colonial settlement at the southern tip of Manhattan. The find may delay subway construction and will possibly be displayed in a park or museum [18]. Paris: During construction of the new driverless line 14 in 1990, several canoe-shaped boats have been found and excavated ten meters below the banks of the Seine river. The boats were made of hollowed-out logs and date back to 2800-2500 BC, making them among the earliest signs of human settlement of tribes in the area. They are now housed in the Carnavalet museum [14]. Parma: In this Italian metro under construction, the tunnels will run below the level at which archaeological findings usually are made. It has been decided to display in the future stations any artifacts located during construction of the shafts [23]. Rome: The relationship between planners and preservationists is difficult due to Italy's strict preservation laws and the fact that most of central Rome is of historical significance. Without paved roads, early cities used to rise gradually on the build-up of dust, waste, and horse excrements. Rome has risen about 15-20 meters over the past 2000 years, thus preserving many remains. Until now, only two metro lines serve the 2.5 million residents, leaving the city's streets regularly clogged with motorized traffic whose pollution in turn endangers historical monuments. A few years ago, planners and preservationists decided to work together on the new subway line C, to be opened around 2014. Tunnel boring machines will be used more than 30 meters below the surface, which is below the archaeological remains. But the surface has still to be opened up at places for constructing stations and ventilation shafts. As museum space is limited in Rome, many of the objects to be excavated are destined to be displayed in the stations [10]. Sofia: In the capital of Bulgaria, ruins of an old fortress and city wall have been discovered during the planning stage for the proposed lines 1 and 2. Two scenarios have been considered when planning the intersection beween those lines at Serdika station. The first option was to build the metro tunnels away from the archaeological site and to keep the archaeological research for later; the second option was to build the intersection beneath the archeological reserve, utilize the construction for excavation and set up a pedestrian underpass with an archaeological exposition. In cooperation with the Committee for Culture the second option has been chosen. [11, 15]. Thessaloniki: The second metro in Greece, which is scheduled to open in 2010, spawned Thessaloniki's largest-ever excavation site and will shed light on the history and topography of Hellenistic, Byzantine, and Roman periods. A memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, Attiko Metro, and the construction firm specifies ways for how findings should be preserved, stored, protected, transported, restored, documented and displayed at the six underground stations along the ancient Via Egnatia [12]. Vienna: The capital of Austria began metro construction in 1969, an opportunity already being eagerly awaited by historians. Archaeologists have been involved from the very beginning of the construction work and could sometimes even helpfully warn the engineers about obstacles in the soil. The efficient cooperation resulted in lots of important archaeological findings while unexpected delays could be minimized. A subset of the artifacts is now displayed in a few stations [13].
Metro Stations with Archaeological DisplaysAmsterdam
Athens
Istanbul
Izmir
Lyon
Mexico City
Naples
Oporto
Paris
Prague
Rome
Sofia
Vienna
Reference[1] (Athens) Parlama, Liana; Nicholas Stampolidis: Athens: The City Beneath the City: Antiquities from the Metropolitan Railway Excavations. Harry N. Abrams, 2001.[2] (Athens) Stavrakakis, Yannis N.: Subway to the Past. In: Archaeology, March/April 2000. [3] (Athens) Tzelepis; Spiros: The City Beneath the City. 2002. [4] (Athens) Underground Battle. The Story of the Tug of War Between Archaeologists and Metro Developers over the Kerameikos Cemetery. 2001. [5] (London) Museum of London Archaeology Service: The Big Dig. Archaeology and the Jubilee Line Extension. Museum of London 1998. [6] (Los Angeles) Encyclopedic Report Details Numerous Subway Fossil Finds. MTA 2000. Mirror. [7] (Los Angeles) Goldstein, Debra: Subway Fossils. In: Science World, March 7, 1997. [8] (Los Angeles) Fossil Finds in the Los Angeles Subway (PDF). In: California Geology, July/August 2001. [9] (Naples) Matthews, Jeff: Next Stop – Neapolis! 2005. [10] (Rome) Kahn, Gabriel: When Rome Builds a Subway, It Trips over Archaeologists. In: Wall Street Journal Online, January 27, 2007. Mirror. [11] (Sofia) Problems of Cultural Monuments' Preservation Connected with the Construction of the Sofia Underground (PDF) In: UNESCO 7-29-2006. [12] (Thessaloniki) Drill Aids Digs in Thessaloniki. Large-Scale Metro Excavation Could Illuminate Hellenistic and Roman Periods. In: Kathimerini 7-29-2006. [13] (Vienna) Hewson, Elisabeth: Zeitmaschine U-Bahn: Eine Reise durch Jahrtausende. Wiener Stadtwerke 1994. [14] Marshall, Alex: Beneath the Metropolis: The Secret Lives of Cities. Robinson 2006. [15] Skyscrapercity discussion Archaeology and Subways. [16] Ström, Marianne: Metro-Art in the Metro-Polis. ACR Edition 1996. [17] (Istanbul) Landler, Mark: In Istanbul, a Race Against Progress. International Herald Tribune, 2005. [18] (New York) McGeehan, Patrick: Found: Old Wall in New York, and It's Blocking the Subway. New York Times, 2005. [19] (Cologne) Nord-Süd-Stadtbahn Köln, Archäologie. Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe (KVB). [20] (Cologne) Perez-Perez, Silvia: Unterweltsbilder - Fotografien zur U-Bahn-Archäologie Köln. campus-web.de, 2007. [21] (Cologne) Dietmar, Carl; Marcus Trier: Mit der U-Bahn in die Römerzeit – ein Handbuch zu den archäologischen Ausgrabungsstätten rund um den Bau der Nord-Süd Stadtbahn. Kiepenheuer & Witsch 2005. [22] (Cologne) Trier, Marcus; L. Tempel: Cologne’s North-South Urban Light Railway, Part II — The Archaeology (PDF). Tunnel, 2005. [23] (Parma) businessweek.com 2007. Photos by M. Rohde, except where indicated otherwise. Page updated 6 April 2008 (database entries can be newer). This page: http://mic-ro.com/metro/archaeology.html 
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