Nationally important archaeological find

From Sue

Exciting news re the results of the Whitehorse Hill cist excavation, just in from DNPA: the collection of finds is being analysed, and has been dated to the Early Bronze Age

An excavation, co-ordinated by Dartmoor National Park Authority, has discovered a nationally important collection of Early Bronze Age remains in a burial site situated in Dartmoor National Park. The discovery could prove to be one of the most important archaeological finds of the last 100 years nationally.

The excavation has revealed that cremated human bone and burnt textile was placed within an animal hide or fur on top of a very thin leather and textile object, itself placed above a mat of plant material.   At one end of the fur/ hide was a delicate woven bag or basket with fine stitching still visible. The contents inside included beautifully preserved shale disc beads, amber spherical beads (see image bottom right) and a circular textile band. A further layer of matted plant material covered these objects.

The burial cist was excavated in August 2011 and was located on Whitehorse Hill, northern Dartmoor, on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.   The work was carried out by archaeologists from the Historic Environment Projects Team, Cornwall Council, led by Andrew Jones, with assistance from English Heritage (EH) and Plymouth University specialists.

The project was jointly funded by the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) and English Heritage, with contributions from a number of other local funders.