The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Must Farm dig ends
From wild boar and deer on the dinner table to intricate glass they traded, the lives of pre-historic people living near Peterborough has been revealed thanks to the incredible discoveries at Must Farm. Archaeologists have now finished their excavations at the site, located at Whittlesey - and have pieced together the daily lives of a Late BronzeAge (1000 - 800BC) community through a number of extraordinary finds.
The 10-month excavation, which is now coming to an end, has revealed how Bronze Agehouseswereconstructed, what household goods they had, what they ate and how their clothes were made.
The specialist team working at the site, have uncovered the finest collection of Bronze Agefabricsandoneofthelargest collections of Bronze Age glass ever found in Britain.
Theyhavealsofoundanunprecedented array of household goods, from complete sets of pots, some with food still inside, to wooden buckets, decorative textiles and decorative beads made from glass, jet and amber showing theyweretradingwithEurope and the Middle East.
The £1.4 million excavation was funded by Historic England and Forterra, and carried out by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, Division of Archaeology, University of Cambridge.
David Gibson, Archaeological ManagerattheCambridge Archaeological Unit, Division of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, said: “The exceptional site of MustFarmallows you to visit in exquisite detail everyday life in the Bronze Age.
“Domestic activity within structures is demonstrated from clothing to household objects, to furniture and diet. Thesedwellingshaveitall, the completeset, it’s a‘full house’”.
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said “Over the past 10 months Must Farm has given us an extraordinary window into how people lived 3,000 years ago. Now we know what this small but wealthy Bronze Age community ate, how they made their homes and where they traded. This has transformed our knowledge of Bronze Age Britain, and there is more to come as we enter a post-excavation phase of research. Archaeologists and scientists around the world are learning fromMustFarmandit’salready challenged a number of longstandingperceptions. We would like to thank Forterra forjoiningusinthisincredibly fruitful partnership.”
Now Historic England is working with Peterborough City Council and other organisations to determine the best strategy for using anddisplaying the archaeological finds.