'Exceptionally rare' Iron Age artefact discovered on Suffolk coast
The fragment of wood is thought to be the axle from a cart or chariot used thousands of years ago
Last updated 26th Jan 2023
Part of an Iron Age cart or chariot has been unearthed on the Suffolk coast, something archaeologists have called an 'exceptionally rare find'.
The discovery was made two years ago during a dig led by Cotswold Archaeology near Eastbridge, close to Sizewell.
The excavations were held ahead tree planting for the new Sizewell C nuclear power station.
The peg-shaped fragment of wood has now been identified as part of the axle from an ancient cart or chariot.
It was discovered in a pit which was likely used as a watering hole for livestock in Iron Age times.
The axle had been burned and was found alongside charred pieces of wood likely from the same vehicle.
Made of hazel, radiocarbon dating has shown it was made at some point in the Middle Iron Age, between 400BC and 100BC.
The Iron Age usually refers to the period before the Romans arrived in the British Isles. There are several known Iron Age settlements in Suffolk, including a large fort at Burgh.
The find is one of only a few that survive from ancient times in Britain. A similar axle has been discovered at Flag Fen in Peterborough.