September 2007

FURTHER EXCAVATIONS AT PODE HOLE REVEAL MORE SECRETS ABOUT BRONZE AGE PAST

Archaeologists have unearthed further well preserved remains and a Middle Bronze Age burial ground, dating back over 3,500 years at Bardon Aggregates’ Pode Hole Quarry in Thorney near Peterborough.

A child’s skeleton is the second find at the site following Phoenix Consulting Archaeology’s discovery of the well-preserved remains of a man during routine archaeological excavation work carried out in July 2007, under the terms of the planning consent placed by Peterborough City Council.

Senior Surveyor, John Penny said: “Excavation work at the site has been ongoing for eight years and, until now, little has come to light regarding the men and women who lived in the area. However, in recent months the archaeologists have come across remarkable evidence that points to the lives and routines of people who carved out an agricultural landscape in the area, in the form of their communal burial ground.

“The excavations are very exciting, and are helping historians and archaeologists to successfully piece together the jigsaw of life in the past on the edge of the Fens, from the late Neolithic period through to the late Bronze Age.”

Both remains are believed to have come from the same farming community. Lead archaeologist, Andy Richmond, said: “We were alerted to the possibility of 'round barrows' from the aerial photographs that detailed circular crop growth variations. When the area was investigated, two Bronze Age round barrows were identified.

“In the smaller of these barrows we discovered a single adult skeleton, whilst the more impressive neighbouring barrow, which measures over 25 metres across, has so far revealed the poignant discovery of a child burial with associated grave goods in the form of a complete pottery vessel and perforated sea shell, which would no doubt have been worn as a piece of personal adornment. The remains were also found placed in a grave lined with what appears to be birch bark.”

Once the investigations on site are complete, the skeletons and artefacts will be sent for testing to gain a better understanding of the social aspects of these past communities, and to determine age, sex, diet, disease and dental information.

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