Incredible treasure trove of thousands of artefacts dating back 9,000 years uncovered

Some 19,000 artefacts, some dating as far back as 9,000 years ago to the Mesolithic period,  were discovered in the UK last week. 

They were found at a residential development project at Calthorpe Gardens, on the outskirts of the historic market town Banbury, Oxfordshire, it was announced in a press release by the contractor Orbit Homes, who was overseeing the development. 

Among those items uncovered were a group of Mesolithic flint tools dating from 10,000 BCE to 4,000 BCE, as well as the remains of a small settlement from the Late Bronze or Middle-Late Iron Age. An Anglo-Saxon cemetery from the early Medieval period was also found. 

Within the cemetery, the remains of 52 people have been identified, buried with a variety of items such as beaded necklaces, pendants and weapons, including a gold pendant with an intertwined serpent design.

Over 9,000 litres of paleoenvironmental samples have also been taken to help shed light on the human activity of the past. 

“This is a once-in-a-decade site … with once-in-a-lifetime kinds of finds that are coming up—it’s incredible,” Hayley Parsons, a field archaeologist, said in a video released by Orbit Homes.

The site is now considered as one of significant regional importance. A selection of the artefacts were also recently put on display to the public for the first time during an event at Banbury Town Hall, hosted by Orbit Homes and Border Archaeology - their archaeology partner for the site. 

Those who came along, some 200 people, were able to view a range of the finds as well as hear from Border Archaeology about what they tells us about daily life at the time and most importantly, the role this landscape played to prehistoric and early Medieval communities of the area in southern England, as well as its possible links to the continent.

Colin Dean, Sales and Marketing Director for Orbit Homes in the Midlands, described the finds as “fascinating,” adding that “We’re delighted that the location has been declared as ‘significant’ and after all the work to excavate and study the finds it was wonderful to finally share some of these discoveries with the local community as well as be able to help piece together the history of the people living in the area over centuries”. 

Janice McLeish, Director of Post Excavation Services at Border Archaeology, added: “The excavation at Calthorpe Gardens has been a career-significant experience for the team from our MK Facility and we’re amazed to have recovered such a vast number of artefacts that date back to several key periods in history.

“Given the quality of these finds we’ve been able to build a magnificent picture of what life was like for the communities that inhabited Bretch Hill in the past and we’ve loved the opportunity to share these stories with the people who live in the area today.”