Beacon Hill Wood reveals Bronze Age discoveries
Beacon Hill Wood in Somerset is well known for its archaeology but - in an exciting new find - digs have found a Bronze Age burial mound, including an urn with possible human remains.
It was discovered by the Beacon Hill Society during digs at two sites on Beacon, funded by Somerset Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund and led by Peter Leach, an archaeological consultant. The aim of the digs was to investigate, with the help local volunteers and college students, the remains of two suspected prehistoric round barrows.
As digging began both barrows revealed some fascinating finds....
The investigation soon confirmed that the first low barrow, on the western side of the wood, was a Bronze Age barrow. Loose stones found inset in the barrow, initially thought to be a sign of previous robbing, slowly began to uncover something much more interesting. Under the stones a large capping stone was found and beneath that a complete Bronze Age burial urn from around 1300-1400 BC, was discovered. The urn contains some interesting remains and is now with a specialist laboratory for further investigation, including carbon dating and pollen analysis, but it is hoped there will be a re-internment of the contents remains next spring.
The second and smaller barrow investigated turned out not to be a barrow at all, but, even more excitingly, revealed the possible Roman remains of a small building. It is thought this could be linked to ancient quarries which we know were being worked in Roman times.
Peter Leach said 'This is the first modern scientific investigation of a Bronze Age round barrow in Somerset and we were very fortunate to find an intact burial urn here. In addition, the discovery has the potential to throw new light on the prehistoric environment and flora of Beacon Hill.'
Michelle Byrne of the Woodland Trust said 'These valuable archaeological discoveries show how important Beacon Hill Wood has been for local people over the centuries and helps us to build a much clearer picture of how it was used through the ages.'
For more information, visit the Beacon Hill Society website at: http://www.bhsm.org.uk
http://www.treeforall.org.uk/Update/NewsArticles/bronze_age_discoveries.htm
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