Editor’s note: Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. (CNN) — It’s late summer 2,850 years ago. A fire engulfs a stilt village perched above a boggy, slow-moving river that weaves through the wetlands of eastern England.
Described by the experts involved as an “archaeological nirvana,” the site is a vivid and poignant snapshot, captured by archaeologists, of a once thriving community in late Bronze Age Britain.A metal axe head with wooden haft was among the many well-preserved artifacts discovered at Must Farm. It’s late summer 2,850 years ago. A fire engulfs a stilt village perched above a boggy, slow-moving river that weaves through the wetlands of eastern England.
“In a typical Bronze Age site, if you’ve got a house, you’ve probably got maybe a dozen post holes in the ground and they’re just dark shadows of where it once stood. If you’re really lucky, you’ll get a couple of shards of pottery, maybe a pit with a bunch of animal bones. This was the complete opposite of that process.
Though charred from the fire, the remaining buildings and their contents were extremely well preserved by the oxygen-starved conditions of the fens, or wetlands, and included many wooden and textile items that rarely survive in the archaeological record. Together, traces of the settlement paint a picture of cozy domesticity and relative plenty.The researchers unearthed 128 ceramic artifacts — jars, bowls, cups and cookware — and were able to deduce that 64 pots were in use at the time of fire.
However, what exactly caused the devastating fire remains unclear. The blaze could have been accidental or deliberately started. The researchers uncovered a stack of spears with shafts over 10 feet long at the site, and many experts think that warfare was common in the time period. The team worked with a forensic fire investigator but ultimately couldn’t identify a specific “smoking gun” clue pointing to the cause.
Not all the items were of practical use, such as 49 glass beads plus others made of amber. Archaeologists also unearthed a woman’s skull, smooth from touch, possibly a keepsake of a lost loved one. Some of the items the researchers found will go on display starting April 27 in an exhibition titled “The village was only occupied for a short time, but its inhabitants owned and used many rich and varied objects.
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