Archaeologists Found A Hidden Medieval Village While Digging Under A Highway

At this point, it might seem that everything that can be discovered on our Earth about our history has already been discovered. After all, hundreds of years of exploration have taken place. And yet, even nowadays, we still get surprised when someone manages to find something new.

Here, recently, renovation was being done on various major roadways in England, including the major highway A47. During works on the latter, an exciting discovery was made, which proved to be meaningful archeologically and historically to the region.

Norfolk is already known for having a rich history, but the newest discoveries are about to make it even richer

Archaeologist uncovering Roman Empire and Iron Age skeletons during highway construction excavation site.

Image credits: PlaceboPill / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Turns out, during construction on the A47 highway, an exciting discovery was made

There is a ceremonial county in England called Norfolk. It has made its mark in history, as many rulers, from Celtic queens, the Roman empire, to Vikings and Saxons have shaped the place into the way it is now – a rich blend of heritage. The history of the region is so vast that even nowadays, new discoveries about it keep coming up.

During excavations at North Tuddenham and Easton, a whole medieval village was uncovered. With heavy equipment and hand tools, archeologists uncovered artifacts like battle and hunting spearheads, metal work, pottery, stone carvings, decorative buckles, and even animal remains. By the end, more than 600 sample buckets were used, and over 65 pounds (30 kilograms) of material were recovered.

Hand holding an ancient iron spearhead, a major historical finding from Roman Empire and Iron Age excavation.

Image credits: Headland Archaeology

Basically, during medieval times, Norfolk was a prosperous civilization. People who lived there were farming, technology was advancing, and the population was growing. 

Of course, it didn’t come without hardships. Some of the findings included a bone flute, which showed a deeply traumatic part of the place’s history.

Traces of a medieval village were found there, unlocking new historical points about the place

Ancient artifact from Roman Empire and Iron Age discovered during highway construction, showing detailed weathering and craftsmanship.

Image credits: National Highways: East / Facebook

Norfolk coincided with a climate change event called the ‘medieval warm period’ – when it started to get warmer and wetter, which made crops fail, exposing the population to famine and disease. Then, the Black Death came and wiped out over half of the population, causing villages to disappear. 

Hand holding an ancient bone artifact with holes, a major historical finding from the Roman Empire and Iron Age.

Image credits: Headland Archaeology

Along with the discovery of the village, other things were found as well, like a small, enclosed cemetery from the Roman period. Inside it, there were 14 grave cuts centered around a central grave, while outside, there was the boundary ditch for the cemetery. There were seven more grave cuts. 

There was also a cemetery found, which featured interesting graves that are unique to the place

Aerial view of highway construction near green fields with major historical findings from the Roman Empire and Iron Age discovered.

Image credits: Mark Boyer / Wikipedia

Technically, this kind of cemetery isn’t unexpected for rural Roman Britain, but this one might be a little unique. In its center, there’s a stone coffin carved from a single solid block of limestone. The burial inside is encased in gypsum before capping stones are placed on the coffin. Such a process includes pouring liquid gypsum over the individual, which sets to form a hard cast and preserves an imprint of the individual.

Archaeological excavation revealing Roman Empire and Iron Age artifacts during highway construction site dig.

Image credits: Headland Archaeology

The thing is that gypsum burials are rarely found in rural Roman Britain, as they’re more associated with prominent urban centers. The stone containing this burial was bulk lifted from the field and transported to Headland Archaeology’s offices in Silsoe, so it could be excavated away from the harsh elements onsite.

Additionally, this burial wasn’t even the only high-status grave in the newly uncovered cemetery. Turns out, many graves inside and outside of the boundary ditch contained large quantities of jewelry and other items.

Along with all of it, various historical memorabilia and rich grave goods were discovered too

Ancient glass bowl reconstructed from fragments uncovered during Roman Empire and Iron Age highway construction findings.

Image credits: Headland Archaeology

For example, one grave had a large quantity of grave goods placed above the feet of the buried person. It is guessed that this person was a woman of around 16-20 years of age. Her goods included things like a pair of silver earrings and plates, copper alloy bracelets, and rings. There was also another grave that contained goods like copper alloy bracelets, worked bone, a comb, and silver earrings. 

Archaeological site during highway construction revealing historical findings from the Roman Empire and Iron Age artifacts.

Image credits: Headland Archaeology

It’s hoped that the post-excavation analysis of all findings will answer the questions that arose during the discovery and will shed light on the region’s historical landscape and stories of people who lived and were buried there. 

Archeologists hope that post-excavation analysis will answer the questions the discoveries made about the region’s history and people who lived there

Comment from Marty Hall discussing road construction timeline in a lighthearted social media post about major historical findings.

Comment on social media about historical findings from highway construction revealing Roman Empire and Iron Age evidence.

Comment from Graham Read explaining how old settlements near water had shallow wells due to a high water table.

Comment by Bryan Coates warning not to blow an old whistle, referencing a mysterious call in an online discussion.

Comment by Steve Lake discussing traffic noise causing villagers to desert, related to highway construction findings.

Comment from Christopher Buxton about Norfolk's scattered population, referencing forgotten villages and hamlets.

Comment mentioning possible link between villages and Iron Age tribes amid highway construction revealing Roman Empire artifacts.

Facebook comment by Lewi Lewbear humorously reacting to highway construction revealing historical Roman Empire and Iron Age findings.

Poll Question

Total votes ·

Thanks! Check out the results:

Total votes ·

Newsletter

Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls

Subscribe

By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!