PISCATAWAY, N.J., July 14 (UPI) — One tavern patron’s beer bottles became an archaeologist’s find 250 years later during a Rutgers Stadium expansion in Piscataway, N.J.

Archaeologists have been documenting their discovery to preserve remnants of the once-bustling 18th-century Raritan Landing settlement, now site of the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights’ football heroics, The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Monday.

Other items found at the soon-to-be-completed stadium entrance plaza include the foundation of the Rising Sun Tavern, several residences, plates, pottery, tools dating to the early- to mid-18th century.

“Bit by bit, we’re reconstructing this otherwise invisible village,” said Rebecca Yamin, an archaeologist with John Milner Associates of West Chester, Pa. “Every project builds on what we know about this invisible place.”

This recent excavation, which ended last week, cost Rutgers University $200,000 through its stadium expansion funds and helped amplify the New Jersey’s significance in trade and commerce, said Yamin, who studied the settlement for three decades.

Raritan Landing was founded in the early 1700s because of its access to the Raritan River, the newspaper said. Archaeologists found remnants of the port town in Piscataway during construction on the corner of