Bronze Age village found under site of new car park
AN ANCIENT Bronze Age village has been found under the site of a new car park. Stone pits of a 3,600-year-old settlement have been unearthed by workmen about to lay tarmac to make the new car park for visitors to historic Offa’s Dyke.
It was discovered just yards from Offa’s Dyke, the 176-mile long earthen barrier on the border of England and Wales.
But the ancient village discovered by archaeologists is thought to be thousands of years older than Offa’s Dyke, built between 757 and 796.
Work on the new car park in Brym- bo, north Wales, was halted after the settlement was found.
The discovery comes 60 years after a skeleton known as Brymbo Man was dug up in the village.
Archaeologists found man-made stone pits and charred pieces of seed, wood charcoal and grains near where Brymbo Man was dug up by workmen in August 1958.
The archaeologists had been overseeing work by Wrexham Council to alleviate parking problems in the area and the pits were found while topsoil was being removed ready to lay tarmac.
Ian Grant, of the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, said: “While we were monitoring the works I was looking to see if I could see anything associated with Offa’s Dyke.
“We didn’t find any nice bling or treasure, but we certainly retrieved material that you could date as there were lots of charred remains. It’s a good spot for a Bronze Age village because it has such a stunning view.”
The charred remains have now been sent off for analysis to try to establish when they date from.
Brymbo councillor Paul Rogers said: “The find is an important piece of the jigsaw in the village’s history. It has generated interest in the community, with a lot of residents feeling that it’s another positive piece of our history.”
Brymbo Man was found by local workmen while digging a pipe trench.
National Museum of Wales experts excavated a stone-lined box in which they discovered the incomplete remains of a skeleton, a small earthenware pot and a flint knife.
Experts estimated he was 35 when he was killed by an arrow in his head and lived at about the same time as the hidden village 3,600 years ago.