Historic tool is invaluable find

Submitted by PaulM on Thursday, 05 May 2005 Page Views: 1364

Archaeologists who recently discovered an Iron Age settlement in West Malling have since unearthed a 'priceless' artefact. Diggers from Wessex Archaeology have come across a prehistoric sickle, which would have been used by some of the earliest farmers in the area.

The metallic harvesting implement was retrieved by a team of experts from a second occupation area close to the junction between the A20 and the A228.

The object, which was discovered when diggers began to probe an ancient pit, will provide insight into the agricultural existence of some of the first Malling settlers.

Dr Sue Hamilton, of London's Institute of Archaeology, said: "Sickles obviously made a big change to agriculture because you can encompass a lot of grain with them, whereas earlier farming would have involved picking off individual ears from crops with stone tools."

She added: "It is part of a big industrial change which took place and there are lots of other agricultural tools which we don't have anymore because iron doesn't survive in the soil very well."

In addition to the sickle, other prehistoric finds have included a series of stone loom weights which would have been used in textiles manufacture.

Quantities of burnt daub, used in the construction of round houses, have also been recovered.

Oxford archaeologist Hannes Schroeder said: "Obviously these are common every day items with no intrinsic value, but in terms of their value to the nation's heritage they are indeed priceless."

Although the official excavations drew to a close on Friday, archaeologists will continue to carry out a 'watching brief' to spot further finds as concrete for the bypass is laid down.

KCC spokesman Phil Scrivener said: "Some of the Iron Age remains will be preserved beneath the road as construction work gets underway."

A number of significant later finds have also been unearthed, including a Sixth Century Anglo-Saxon cellar structure and medieval bakery.

KCC county archaeologist John Williams added: "This work is important because it helps us to understand the early landscape around Leybourne and West Malling. We can now see that people were living here at least two thousand years ago in an area where we previously had little evidence."

Construction work on the £29 million bypass has now begun in earnest. The relief road is expected to be completed by 2007.

Source: This Is Kent 05/05/05

Contributor Bio for PaulM: Based in Macclesfield, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Hordron Edge. Occupation: Something in waste and recycling.

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