Post by UKarchaeology on Sept 26, 2015 22:47:32 GMT
EVERYONE dreams of discovering buried treasure from thousands of years ago – only Kieran Fogarty nearly destroyed his find with a pickaxe!
The 32-year-old footpath repair worker was working at the Roaches nature reserve near Leek when he spotted what looked like pottery and bone fragments in the ground.
Unknowingly he had stumbled across a 3,500 year-old Bronze Age urn containing cremated human remains.
"I can hardly say I carefully excavated it, but I had a feeling it was something special," he said.
Kieran, who has now moved to Scotland from Ilam, was convinced he'd seen similar artefacts on TV's Time Team.
"I knew it was old because it was buried so far down," he said. "I could see it was thick-walled pottery and there were bits of charcoal and bone with it. I found it in the most random of holes in the most random of places.
"There was just something about it."
Once the urn has been fully investigated it will be deposited with the Potteries Museum in Hanley.
Councillor Daniel Jellyman, Stoke-on-Trent City Council's heritage champion, said: "This is an exciting find revealing a prehistoric site that was completely unknown.
"It is unbelievable that a simple earthen ware burial urn has survived over 3,500 years. It will be a fantastic addition to the Bronze Age artefacts on display in the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, which is already designated as being of national importance."
Former Editor of the Leek Post and Times and historian Doug Pickford said the find confirms the historical importance of the site where the artefact was found.
"I've long suspected there was something there," he said.
Ken Smith, cultural heritage manager for the Peak District National Park, praised Kieran for contacting them so quickly."
"Often finds like this are associated with burial mounds but in this case there was no clue on the ground surface that there was archaeology present," he said.
"It offers a reminder that even small scale ground disturbance, such as footpath repair, can have an archaeological impact."
The Park is now looking for funding for post-excavation work so that specialists can study the urn and its contents.
Ken added: "Close inspection of the pot fragments may tell us where the clay came from.
"Dating of the charcoal will help them to put a date on the cremation, and study of the cremated bone could give an indication of the age, and even the sex, of the individual."
John Barnatt, who led the excavation, said: "The finding of the urn illustrates people in the Bronze Age perhaps venerated this location."
Helen Dale, head of people and property at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, said: "We are continuing to carry out repair work to footpaths as part of our work to improve the Roaches, but we'll be informing contractors and volunteers to be mindful of anything they might come across in the future."
(pics & source at: www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Bronze-Age-treasure-unearthed-moorland-nature/story-27690623-detail/story.html#1 )
The 32-year-old footpath repair worker was working at the Roaches nature reserve near Leek when he spotted what looked like pottery and bone fragments in the ground.
Unknowingly he had stumbled across a 3,500 year-old Bronze Age urn containing cremated human remains.
"I can hardly say I carefully excavated it, but I had a feeling it was something special," he said.
Kieran, who has now moved to Scotland from Ilam, was convinced he'd seen similar artefacts on TV's Time Team.
"I knew it was old because it was buried so far down," he said. "I could see it was thick-walled pottery and there were bits of charcoal and bone with it. I found it in the most random of holes in the most random of places.
"There was just something about it."
Once the urn has been fully investigated it will be deposited with the Potteries Museum in Hanley.
Councillor Daniel Jellyman, Stoke-on-Trent City Council's heritage champion, said: "This is an exciting find revealing a prehistoric site that was completely unknown.
"It is unbelievable that a simple earthen ware burial urn has survived over 3,500 years. It will be a fantastic addition to the Bronze Age artefacts on display in the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, which is already designated as being of national importance."
Former Editor of the Leek Post and Times and historian Doug Pickford said the find confirms the historical importance of the site where the artefact was found.
"I've long suspected there was something there," he said.
Ken Smith, cultural heritage manager for the Peak District National Park, praised Kieran for contacting them so quickly."
"Often finds like this are associated with burial mounds but in this case there was no clue on the ground surface that there was archaeology present," he said.
"It offers a reminder that even small scale ground disturbance, such as footpath repair, can have an archaeological impact."
The Park is now looking for funding for post-excavation work so that specialists can study the urn and its contents.
Ken added: "Close inspection of the pot fragments may tell us where the clay came from.
"Dating of the charcoal will help them to put a date on the cremation, and study of the cremated bone could give an indication of the age, and even the sex, of the individual."
John Barnatt, who led the excavation, said: "The finding of the urn illustrates people in the Bronze Age perhaps venerated this location."
Helen Dale, head of people and property at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, said: "We are continuing to carry out repair work to footpaths as part of our work to improve the Roaches, but we'll be informing contractors and volunteers to be mindful of anything they might come across in the future."
(pics & source at: www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Bronze-Age-treasure-unearthed-moorland-nature/story-27690623-detail/story.html#1 )