Latest news with #ChrisThatcher
New York Post
13-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Late Bronze Age settlement dating back 3,000 years uncovered amid road work: ‘Important discovery'
Advertisement An ancient Bronze Age settlement was recently uncovered by archaeologists in the United Kingdom while a highway was being built. The Suffolk City Council described the site as a 'Late Bronze Age settlement and cremation cemetery' that dates back 3,000 years; they shared the information in a press release dated mid-April. In Britain, the Bronze Age lasted from 2500 B.C. to roughly 800 B.C. The excavation took place on the construction site of Europa Way. Advertisement The highway was built to link roads in northwest Ipswich, a port town in Suffolk. 3 The Suffolk City Council described the site as a 'Late Bronze Age settlement and cremation cemetery' that dates back 3,000 years; they shared the information in a press release dated mid-April. Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service 'Intensive Late Bronze Age activity at Europa Way was located on the glacial outwash gravels, which outcrop on the lower slopes of the northern side of the valley of the River Gipping,' the city council said in a statement. 'There is a rich record of prehistoric land use on the lighter soils of the terrace and outwash gravels, which flank the River Gipping's course upstream of Ipswich.' Advertisement Archaeologists uncovered 18 burials dating back to 1200 B.C., along with remains of various structures and a host of ancient artifacts. 3 Archaeologists found interesting artifacts during the dig. A distinctive feature of the cremation cemetery was 'how close it was to the buildings and daily life.' Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service 'The postholes of two roundhouses, numerous four and six-post structures, and two ring-gullies were found at the site near Bramford and Sproughton, along with multiple pottery finds,' the city council's statement read. 'This evidence indicates a settlement with a mixed agricultural economy including cereal production, and breeding and raising cattle.' Advertisement Archaeologists also found cremation urns, a copper-alloy pin, fragmented fired clay weights and a clay spindle whorl, along with a 'rare example of a flint quern, used for hand-grinding grain into flour.' Experts from Cotswold Archaeology, Oxford Archaeology and Suffolk County Council's Archaeological Service all participated in the excavation, with Oxford Archaeology taking the lead on the fieldwork. 3 The excavation took place on the construction site of Europa Way. The highway was built to link roads in northwest Ipswich, a port town in Suffolk. Google Earth In a statement, Oxford Archaeology senior project manager Chris Thatcher said that the discovery was important in understanding 'prehistoric activity along this stretch of the Gipping valley.' 'Some aspects of the settlement remains are of considerable significance in the wider regional context, especially the substantial pottery finds, the cremation cemetery, and the way that the agricultural landscape was organized,' the archaeologist said. Thatcher added that a distinctive feature of the cremation cemetery was 'how close it was to the buildings and daily life.' '[T]he inhabitants of the settlement were likely buried close by,' he also said. 'This is part of an emerging pattern of Late Bronze Age burial activity, and appears to mark a shift from the Middle Bronze Age preference for major cemeteries, typically within extensive field systems, or the deceased being interred at earlier-established ancestral monuments.' Advertisement The latest announcement comes on the heels of other discoveries at the site, ranging from millennia-old Neolithic pottery to Iron Age currency and medieval artifacts. In a statement, Suffolk County Council cabinet member Philip Faircloth-Mutton hailed the discovery as showing Suffolk's 'unique history, and add[ing] another layer to our understanding of what life was like for previous generations in our part of the world.' 'This is why it is important that the council's Archaeological Service is here to help record and preserve our past,' Faircloth-Mutton said. 'As important and interesting as finds are today, who knows how significant this information might be in generations to come.'
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bronze Age settlement uncovered during road build
The remains of a Late Bronze Age settlement "of considerable significance" were uncovered during the development of a new road, archaeologists said. A cremation cemetery with 18 burials, "substantial" pottery items and two roundhouses were found during excavations for Europa Way, Ipswich, which opened last month. Suffolk County Council said it indicated a 3,000-year-old settlement with a mixed agricultural economy, including cereal production and cattle breeding. Chris Thatcher of Oxford Archaeology, which undertook the dig, called it an important discovery for the understanding of prehistoric activity in the area. The cemetery contained 18 burials, with radiocarbon dating confirming it dated from circa 1200 BC. The postholes of two roundhouses, numerous four and six-post structures and two ring gullies were also found on the site near Bramford and Sproughton last year, ahead of work beginning on the £2.1m road in August. Other interesting objects included ceramics from circa 1150-800 BC, fragmented fired clay weights, a clay spindle whorl (used during the spinning of yarn) cremation urns and a copper-alloy pin, the council said. Worked flints - including a rare example of a flint quern, used for hand-grinding grain into flour - were among the objects that helped to indicate the type of settlement. "Some aspects of the settlement remains are of considerable significance in the wider regional context, especially the substantial pottery finds, the cremation cemetery and the way that the agricultural landscape was organised," added Mr Thatcher. "One distinctive feature of this cremation cemetery is how close it was to the buildings and daily life - the inference being that the inhabitants of the settlement were likely buried close by." He explained this was part of an emerging pattern of Late Bronze Age burials, which appeared to mark a shift from a preference for major cemeteries. Archaeological finds from other periods included small quantities of Neolithic residual pottery and worked flint and an Iron Age gold coin. The council said there was already a "rich record" of prehistoric land around the River Gipping near Ipswich, and the full archive of finds would be kept and curated by the county's archaeological service. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Late Bronze Age hoard is declared treasure Ancient 'burial site' spotted online Suffolk County Council
