Archaeologists dig up 3,500-year-old wooden spade in Dorset wetland
Preliminary findings have confirmed it dates back to the Bronze Age
Last updated 23rd Oct 2024
An extremely rare wooden spade has been discovered by archaeologists working to create a coastal habitat in Dorset.
Experts have told Greatest Hits Radio 60s, it's a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to work on an object like this.
Initial scientific data has confirmed it dates to the Bronze Age, making it one of the oldest and most complete wooden spades ever found in the UK.
"Really exciting discovery"
Finding the "prehistoric spade" has been described as a "really exceptional discovery" by Dr. Edward Treasure, an environmental archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology.
He told Greatest Hits Radio 60s about receiving the call about it from colleagues in the field: "There's almost that moment of disbelief of what they found, as they started to uncover it and could see it's clearly a wooden object.
"As they revealed more and more of it, that realisation that they had something really rare just continued as they lifted it from site and brought it back to laboratories for further examination and conservation.
"It's probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on an object such as this. I don't imagine seeing another thing like this in my career to be honest."
Work is now underway to conserve and stabilise the spade, and making sure it's recorded for future generations.
A specialist will then tell archaeologists more about the wood-working technology of the Bronze Age, and what it may have been used for.
They've already discovered that it was made from a piece of oak, and radiocarbon dating ties it to the middle Bronze Age.
Why hasn't it rotted?
Like many organic materials, wood normally wouldn't survive for 3,500 years, according to Dr. Treasure.
He added: "What's special in this case is that it was preserved in water logged conditions. The ground has remained permanently wet during burial, so that inhibits the normal processes of decay.
"So you can get exceptional discoveries like this happening.
"The Moors are on a very wet landscape, and that's really what's aided the preservation.
"It's a really rare opportunity to have had something preserved like this, to be honest."
The spade was found during archaeological work in the Arne Project, in collaboration with Kier and the RSPB.
The project is adapting more than 150 hectares of land into a diverse wetland habitat.
Ecosystems are facing "increasingly severe risks," according to Matt Phillips, a senior project manager at Kier.
He added: "The archaeological story of The Moors at Arne gives us an incredible understanding of how people lived thousands of years ago and adapted to change.
"Working on complex environmental projects like this, gives us the opportunity to share fascinating insights into the past and explore what this means with communities today."
The RSPB has "looked after the site for around 28 years," according to site manager Peter Robertson, who said they are "excited for the project to help protect bird species including Redshanks, Avocets, Common Terns, and Sandwich Terns.
"Without this work, this unique coastal landscape and its wealth of protected species could be lost in the future."