‘Britain’s Pompeii’ provides exquisite Bronze Age artifacts

A Bronze Age village that had existed for just a few months before it burned down provided archaeologists with such “exquisite” detail it is being referred to as ‘Britain’s Pompeii“.

The Must Farm site in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire was only around for a short time, according to an analysis of wood used to build the settlement. But evidence of fabric-making, varied diets and huge trading networks that went on during its short life has excited experts during a 10-month dig.

Several circular houses were also found at the location.

Preservation levels are said to be comparable to the Italian site of Pompeii, which was buried by ash in 79 AD.

David Gibson at the University of Cambridge said the site allowed researchers 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,” he added. “These dwellings have it all, the complete set, it’s a ‘full house’.

Sophisticated Homes

Along with rare examples of Bronze Age textile work, historians found evidence that people living in the village had a diet of wild boar, red deer, calves, lambs, and freshwater fish such as pike. Porridge type foods have also been preserved with incredible detail, some in the bowls they were eaten in.

Cooking utensils, glass beads, and looms were found, and archaeologists observed surprisingly sophisticated households that had separate cooking and food storage areas. The beads are thought to have come originally from the Mediterranean or the Middle East.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “This has transformed our knowledge of Bronze Age Britain. 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. Archaeologists and scientists around the world are learning from Must Farm and it’s already challenged a number of longstanding perceptions.”

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Image credit: Cambridge Archaeological Unit

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