Is that this Britain’s first construction project
What is assumed to be Britain’s oldest construction project was discovered in a Berkshire quarry.
Four early Neolithic houses dating back to 3700 BC was unearthed by archaeologists at Cemex’s Kingsmead Quarry in Berkshire.
They are regarded as even older than Stonehenge, that’s dated to around 3000 BC.
The discovery is unprecedented on a single site in England and challenges current understanding of ways people lived greater than 5,700 years ago.
The find gives archaeologists an extraordinary opportunity to be informed more in regards to the earliest permanent settlements in prehistoric Britain and the way such sites developed as people switched lifestyle from hunter-gather to settled farmer.
Few houses of this date were present in England and infrequently has a couple of been found on a single site. These discoveries by excavators from Wessex Archaeology are considered key to enhancing knowledge and understanding of this era.
“Unfortunately only the floor plans have survived as any timber would have rotted away some time past,” said Dr Alistair Barclay of Wessex Archaeology.
“However, we’ve a good option of what these structures could have appeared like from the numerous house finds in Ireland, from experimental work reconstructing prehistoric buildings, and for wood working techniques from timber-built walkways of the similar date, akin to the Sweet Track, that were found preserved inside the peat deposits of the Somerset Levels. These finds add to our knowledge of life in Neolithic times and the way buildings at that date were constructed.”
It is assumed that the homes were probably built by pioneer farmers that had moved into the world bringing with them the data and woodworking skills essential to construct substantial buildings. The world was ideal for a settlement, because it was near the River Colne and there would has been ample woodland nearby.
All the homes were rectangular shaped with the biggest being 15 x 7 metres. Two were constructed out of upright oak planks set into foundation trenches, while the others were built using wooden posts.
Pottery, flint tools, arrowheads, rubbing stones for grinding corn and charred food remains were recovered from the buildings confirming the approach to life of the inhabitants and the approximate age of the homes.
Radiocarbon dating was used to substantiate the age of 1 of the homes (3800-3640 BC) and additional dates could be obtained for the alternative buildings later in 2013, at the charred remains of cereal and hazelnut shell.
The excavations are a part of Cemex’s £4m archaeological programme at the site, which was in operation since 2003.
Cemex sustainability director Andy Spencer said: “In addition to extracting valuable building materials that go into buildings throughout us, quarrying has given us some wonderful archaeological finds that let us know more about our ancestors and the way they lived. At Kingsmead, the scope of the finds covers thousands of years and has provoked some interesting debate concerning the folks who lived there.”