In northern England, British builders discovered the remnants of an Iron Age village dating back 2,500 years ago. The discovery included the remains of men, women, children and their material possessions and weapons.
Builders accidentally stumbled upon the ancient finds while laying the groundwork for a housing development in Pocklington, East Yorkshire. The burial site included more than 75 square barrows filled with skeletons experts believe were from the people who lived during the Middle Iron Age in roughly 800 B.C. The archaeologists believe that the people were from the Arras culture.
Apart from human skeletons, the burial site also revealed major Iron Age weapons and artifacts such as a sword, a shield, 10 spears, 360 pieces of glass and amber beads, brooches and ancient pots.
According to Paula Ware, the managing director of MAP Archaeological Practice, the discovery was considered "a hugely important discovery." The analysis of the artifacts and human remains can improve experts' knowledge of Iron Age Britain and Iron Age burial practices. MAP Archaeological Practice is one of northern England's leading heritage consultants and archaeological contractors.
"As we can assume from the shield and sword burials, these were significant members of society, so our understanding of culture and key figures of the time could be really enhanced," says Ware. The analysis of the Iron Age finds will lead to the biggest study of Iron Age Europe in nearly 40 years.
The research will focus on the question: was the population indigenous or did they migrate to Britain from another continent? The team of archaeologists will also analyze how the unearthed bodies died and whether they were family through a DNA analysis. They also want to find out what kind of stresses the people went through during their lifetime.
Peter Morris from real estate developer David Wilson Homes says they are still in the initial stages of reviewing what they accidentally unearthed. An assessment report on the site will be produced in six months and would contain more details on the rare discovery. Morris added that the team understands how rare the discovery is and of international importance.
