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From Norfolk Now 10/10/2003:
Was this an Iceni warrior?
Rob Brooks works on the grave Just under the surface of the forest floor, among the twisted tree roots, a young man's body has lain undisturbed for 2000 years.
The skeleton of a muscular 30-year-old, who could have been an Iceni warrior, was found buried face down in earth that was part of rich Fen lands and now is behind the fortified fence of an American base.
These human remains are only one of five that have so far been unearthed during a dig that has produced remnants of buildings, pottery, animal bones and flint tools, dating to between 2500BC and 410AD.
Archaeologists say finds made at the 25,000 sq m site at RAF Mildenhall reveal significant detail about how different peoples co-existed in the turbulent times of the late Iron Age and early Roman era, when the conquerors brought their new culture and religions into the country.
At that point, the area was economically very rich - as is borne out by the discovery of the Mildenhall Treasure, found only fields away from the airbase.
Suffolk County Council's archaeological service's senior project officer for the dig, Andrew Tester, said it was an important excavation.
"As an excavation, it is very significant and the scale of it is something special. We are getting a bigger picture of the landscape at that time. We're not just digging little ditches and getting little bits of information, we're getting the whole site.
"It has been a settlement from pre-history; particularly, it was well-used through the Iron Age and Roman times. They used to herd cattle here through the Iron Age and Bronze Age," he said.
The team of 15 has found a pear-shaped corral and a watering hole, in which they found cattle bones.
Nearer the current tree line, there is a 10m building shaped in the sand from the Roman era, and a horse's head, ribs, limbs and spine were found buried within it.
"The horse was probably butchered and buried there as a ritual foundation. In the Iron Age, the horse was an important status symbol and often involved in religious ceremonies," said Mr Tester.
"We have excavated three burials - two were crouch burials, which are more traditional to Bronze Age and Iron Age. We found one that is a proper interment, and he was buried face down. According to our bone specialist, Sue Anderson, he was aged 30 and had a lot of muscle.
"In the early Roman, late Iron, Age there were many changes in religious practice and ideas. People were choosing to be buried in different ways. He was almost certainly Iceni and he could have been an Iceni warrior.
"This was an Iceni area and they were a traditional people. The Romans adapted and adopted other religions."
Within a few weeks, the dig will be over and work will start on turning the site into a baseball pitch for USAF servicemen.
The dig cost £100,000 and was paid for by the Ministry of Defence's estates department, which knew there would be archaeological interest after unearthing two Roman burials and three Iron Age burials in 1997 on the site of what is now a car park.
Defence Estates manager for Mildenhall, Paul Grace, said: "If I was a developer and was told I had to pay £100,000 to excavate to find out what happened here, I would walk away. But archaeologists would lose this valuable information and nothing would have been gained."
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