Badger Uncovers Bronze Age Cremation Site
A badger has shot to the top of the world’s greatest archeologists after its inquisitive burrowing managed to uncover an ancient Bronze Age cremation site.
The excavation, situated near Stonehenge, features artefacts including an archer’s wrist guard, copper chisel, bronze saw and cremated human remains dating back to 2,200 BC.
Experts have hailed the “exciting” find, which is all down to a badger and his pals having a good old dig around land belonging to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in Netheravon, Wiltshire.
Artefacts: The relics date back to 2200 BC (SWNS)
Excavation: The site lies five miles away from Stonehenge (SWNS)
Unearthed: A badger discovered the site while burrowing (SWNS)
Richard Osgood, senior archaeologist from the MOD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said the burial site was “utterly unexpected”.
He said: “These are wonderful artefacts from the early Bronze Age, about 2,200-2,000 BC.
“There are badger setts in quite a few scheduled monuments - the actions of burrowing animals is one of the biggest risks to archaeology in Britain - but to bring out items of this quality from one hole is unusual.
"We would never have known these objects were in there, so there’s a small part of me that is quite pleased the badger did this… but it probably would have been better that these things had stayed within the monument where they’d resided for 4,000 years.”
Dig: The items are set to go on display at Wiltshire Museum (SWNS)
Exciting: Experts have hailed the “unexpected” find (SWNS)
A full archaeological dig has now been carried out on the site which was excavated with the help of injured military personnel and veterans.
During the dig, shaft straighteners for straightening arrows and pieces of pottery were also found.
Wiltshire has been an area of discovery for a number of other ancient finds, including 27 bodies found by soldiers, a 6,000-year-old encampment and Bronze Age jewellery.
The items dug up by the badger will go on display at Wiltshire Museum in Devizes later this year.
Top pic: Rex
