mengele: 01/12/16

Tuesday 12 January 2016

must

Archaeologists have uncovered Britain's "Pompeii" after discovering the "best-preserved Bronze Age dwellings ever found" in the country.

The circular wooden houses, built on stilts, form part of a settlement at Must Farm quarry, in Cambridgeshire, and date to about 1000-800 BC.
A fire destroyed the posts, causing the houses to fall into a river where silt helped preserve the contents.
Pots with meals still inside have been found at the site.
Live updates about the dig and more stories from Cambridgeshire

Excavating a roundhouse — Image caption Archaeologists work on a wooden platform as they uncover the houses

Artist's impression of roundhouse — Image caption Artist's impression of what one of the roundhouses might have looked like

Image caption Archaeologist Selina Davenport helped uncover the dwelling

An earlier test trench at the site, near Whittlesey, revealed small cups, bowls and jars.
In addition, archaeologists said "exotic" glass beads that formed part of a necklace "hinted at a sophistication not usually associated with the Bronze Age".
Textiles made from plant fibres such as lime tree bark have also been unearthed.
What did Bronze Age Britons eat and other things the site tells us
However, the roundhouses themselves are now being excavated.
Archaeologists think they have found about five houses but are not yet certain.

Bronze Age Europe and Britain

Mold Gold Cape — Image caption Gold cape discovered in Mold, north Wales - a supreme example of Bronze Age art

The Bronze Age in Britain lasted from between 2500 and 2000BC until the use of iron became common, between 800-650BC
It came after metalworkers discovered that adding tin to copper produced bronze, used for tools and weaponry which were much more hard-wearing
The Greek poems of Homer - though composed later - look back to a time when bronze weapons were used
In Britain, the Bronze Age lasted until about 800BC. Use of bronze seems to have coincided with fresh migration of people from the continent.
Classic Bronze Age remains include sophisticated axes, precious gold objects, and round burial mounds or "barrows" of which many can still be seen in Britain

BBC History - Bronze Age Britain
BBC Bitesize - What was Bronze Age life like?

The work to uncover the settlement is necessary because there are concerns the water level at the site could fall some time in the future, meaning the remains of the houses cannot be preserved in situ.

Stilts that held up the roundhouses — Image caption The stilts that held the houses can be seen, together with collapsed roof timbers

Image caption These preserved Bronze Age textiles were made from plant fibres

Dagger found at Must Farm — Image caption A middle to late Bronze Age dagger was recovered from the site in 1969

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, which is jointly funding the excavation with land owner Forterra, described the settlement and contents as "an extraordinary time capsule".
He added: "A dramatic fire 3,000 years ago, combined with subsequent waterlogged preservation, has left to us a frozen moment in time, which gives us a graphic picture of life in the Bronze Age.
"This site is of international significance and its excavation really will transform our understanding of the period."

Wooden pots — Image caption After analysing pots found at the site, archaeologists found some contained food

'Amazing Late Bronze Age roundhouses with roof structure and contents preserved, the Peterborough Pompeii'

Pot found at Must Farm — Image caption Historic England said the site showed a "frozen moment in time"

'Unsurpassed finds'

David Gibson, from Cambridge Archaeological Unit, which is leading the excavation, said: "So much has been preserved, we can actually see everyday life during the Bronze Age in the round.
"It's prehistoric archaeology in 3D, with an unsurpassed finds assemblage both in terms of range and quantity."

Excavated beads — Image caption Glass beads found during excavation are thought to have been from a necklace

Well-preserved charred roof timbers of one of the roundhouses are clearly visible, together with timbers showing tool marks and a perimeter of wooden posts known as a palisade, which once enclosed the site.
While a number of Bronze Age settlements have been found in the UK, Mr Gibson said none had been as well-preserved as the Must Farm site.
"Most don't have any timber remaining, just post-holes and marks where posts would have been," he said.
"So far this is unique as we have the roof structure as well."
He said there were some well-preserved similar dwellings at Loch Tay in Perthshire, but these were about 500 years later than those in Cambridgeshire, dating from the early Iron Age.

Roundhouse timbers and wall — Image caption Charred timbers can be seen lying over a collapsed wall

Archaeologists digging two metres (6ft) below the modern surface at the quarry also found preserved footprints, believed to be from people who once lived there.
Once all the retrieved items have been cleaned and documented they are expected to be put on public display.

“Must Farm

Sunken Bronze Age Settlement Is the 'Pompeii' of Britain

The roundhouse would have looked something like this Celtic Crannog (Credit: Christine Westerback/CC BY SA 2.0)

But the fire and the roundhouse’s subsequent collapse into the river contributed to its extraordinary preservation. Like the intact structures found at Pompeii, the flames helped to carbonize and maintain the wooden beams. Silt at the bottom of the river prevented air and bacteria from chewing away at the wood. And because the inhabitants were forced to leave everything behind, virtually everything remains where they left it. Archaeologists are describing it as a time capsule.

“Everything suggests the site is not a one-off but in fact presents a template of an undiscovered community that thrived 3,000 years ago ‘beneath’ Britain’s largest wetland” — Mark Knight

Posts and rafters stick up from the ground, while footprints of the inhabitants can still be seen in the sediment. A charred roof of a roundhouse remains visible, as are tool marks and a perimeter of wooden posts that once enclosed the site. Experts say the excavations are revealing “the best-preserved Bronze Age dwellings ever found” in the country.

It’s prehistoric archaeology in 3D with an unsurpassed finds assemblage both in terms of range and quantity.” — David Gibson

A human skull was also found at the site, but further excavations are required to determine if it belongs to a person who died in the fire. The team also plans to bring in a fire expert to determine if the fire was deliberate (e.g. the result of a hostile tribe) or accidental.

These textiles were made from plant fibers.
Archaeologists have known about the site for decades, but it hasn’t been touched since 2006. Efforts to fully uncover the settlement were given an added sense of urgency after fears emerged that falling water levels could cause the remains to degrade quickly.
The $1.58 million (£1.1 million), 4-year project is being handled by the CAU, who are being funded by Historic England. All items are being sent to labs for further analysis. A detailed paper is expected in a few years, after which time the items will go on public display.
Similar European prehistoric wetland sites have been found before, but nothing quite like this one. Other examples include the ancient loch-side dwellings known as crannogs in Scotland and Ireland, the stilt houses of the Alpine Lakes, and the terps—human-made hill dwellings—in the Netherlands.
“Usually at a Later Bronze Age period site you get pits, post-holes and maybe one or two really exciting metal finds. Convincing people that such places were once thriving settlements takes some imagination,” said CAU Archaeological Manager David Gibson. “But this time so much more has been preserved—we can actually see everyday life during the Bronze Age in the round. It’s prehistoric archaeology in 3D with an unsurpassed finds assemblage both in terms of range and quantity.”

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