March's gruesome Bronze Age past
MARCH'S most earliest settlers possibly performed gruesome funeral rituals, according to exciting and rare evidence found by archaeologists excavating the town's new highway site.
The finds, which date between 2000 BC and 700 BC, suggest various burial rituals took place on the site in Hundred Road.
Evidence of these rituals have been found including burial platforms possibly used for excarnation – this is where the flesh from bodies was taken from the bones either by nature or hand.
Archaeologists digging on the site were surprised to find evidence of the Bronze Age funeral monument, which includes cremations and burial pyres placed around a large watering hole.
The site is very rare and of great interest and will provide invaluable information. The large pond/watering hole contained rare Bronze Age wood which has survived due to waterlogging.
It is hoped further tests will get palaeoenvironmental information (ancient pollen and seeds) which will tell archaeologists more of life in March over 3,000 years ago.
The remains of a Bronze Age field system and a later Roman one have also been found, with evidence of maybe a vineyard or even asparagus growing.
The dig is part of works being carried out for the building of a new purpose-built highway depot for Cambs County Council.
Once excavations have finished the find will be cleaned, recorded and sent to specialists for analysis which will take over a year to complete.
Stephen Macauley, Oxford Archaeology East Project Manager, said: "This is a very rare and exciting find and gives us an insight into what some of March's earliest residents were doing 3,000 years ago.
"The use of these funeral rituals, although gruesome in our 21st century eyes, was not unusual at the time. We can see that even in those times the area was used for agriculture, although it is worth remembering that in the Bronze Age the sea was only a few miles to the north, so they were living in a very different landscape to the one we see today.
"All in all this is a fascinating insight into March during the Bronze Age and we hope that the findings will be published as soon as we have finished our post-excavation work."
Cambs county councillor Matt Bradney, cabinet member for growth and infrastructure, said: "The highway depot is a new purpose-built facility designed to meet the needs of the people of Fenland and help improve the service we provide.
"It is clear from these findings that this site is part of March's continuing evolution."
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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