|
|
|
|
A BRONZE Age site near Peterborough has yielded a prize which experts feared could have lost for all time. Archaeologists say vertical timbers of a house in a dyke side in the Fengate area have been "superbly preserved". The tips of the oak timbers did not disintegrate by drying out because they were sealed in clay which retained the moisture. Now the timbers, which are about 3,000 years old, are to undergo tree ring dating tests at Cambridge University to point their age to within six months. Project director, Dr Frances Pryor, said "You can see the tool marks even though they are about 3,000 years old." The house, thought to have been at least 20 yards long and several yards wide when intact, was rebuilt several times. The retrieval of the vertical timbers of the side wall will assist the study of the tools used and how the types changed over the rebuilding period. Dr Pryor believes an "extended" family would have lived in the house with possibly 20 occupants living in the building which is thought to pre-date 800 BC. The house forms about 10 per cent of the 2.5 acre site whose history is shrouded in mystery. People will have a chance to see what work is being done on Thursday at an open evening between 7 and 9 PM. Arrangements to view have to be made through Peterborough museum. |
