The Roman road from Cassel to Steene, ("steen straete" on the maps), was long thought to link Cassel to a port on the coast. Excavation has now shown that extensive salt workings lay on the tidal flats beyond its last known section . These works, at Pigam and Steene, were on the old coast marked by the 2.5-meter contour and by the transition from clays to peat. The road then was used to bring salt to Cassel, known even in Rome for its excellent salted hams.

The descent to the west from Mont Cassel is not known precisely, but the sharp hairpin is probably on the original line of the Roman road. Leaving the D11 (marking the Roman road to Watten and Boulogne) to the left just below the bend, the road falls steeply to cross the Bolle Veld. It is the boundary between Wemaer's Cappelle and Hardifort until Haeghedoorne where there is a small realignment to the north.

A section on the boundary of Zermezeele with Hardifort, showed a surface of flints and sandstone 15 cm deep and 5.20 m wide. Zermezeele churchyard abuts the road which climbs to a 44 m spot height just beyond it before dropping into the valley to cross the Peene Becque, passing Arnčke on the left.

The road now climbs slightly with Les Grenouilles on the right. Chance digging on the farm in 1852 uncovered a very large treasure of Gaulish coins. The find was scattered and its exact size is not known. Contemporaries speak of 15 to 18 litres of coins (several thousand). Due to their low gold content, villagers took them for copper buttons and many were given to children as play-things. Gold staters of the Ambiani, the Morini and the Nervii have been identified. Les Grenouilles is a farm of Ledringhem. The road now descends to cross the Yser.

Several soundings just after the crossing revealed a roadbed of gravel and sandstone 7 m wide. From the Yser the road climbs to 25 m with Esquelbecque on the right and Zegerscapel on the left. Bissezeele is passed on the right. On the left, on higher ground, is Eringhem . Crochte on the right yielded a hoard of Gaulish coins in the nineteenth century. Issues of the Ambiani, the Nervii, the Morini and the Cenomagi were identified. On the road itself, at Nieppe, three Roman coins were found.

Just after Nieppe the D52 leaves the line of the road but the communal boundaries continue along the Roman line. Between Pitgam and Steene the road crosses the 2.5-m contour marking the old coastline in fields called, appropriately, les Terres Noires. Beyond this point lay the salt pans.

Hardifort, Hardin|vort= ford of Hardo's people

Zermezeele, Sarmiga|sela = hall of Sarmo's people

Arnecke, Rent|eke, Rantius|acum = Rantius's place (Germanic phonetics)

Ledringehem, Liuthari|ing|haim = home of Luithari's people

Esquelbecque, Hiccles|baki= Hikklo's stream

Zegerscapel, Sigeris|capelle= chapel of Siger

Bissezeele, Biss|enga|sela, Bisso|inga|sela
= hall of Bisso's people

Eringhem, Ebers|inga|hem, Eberso|inga|haim
= home of Erber's people

Pitgam, Peten|hamma
= Pato's water meadow

The road to Steene