Long-lost ancient village with mysterious past unearthed amid wind farm dig: 'Exciting discovery'
Archaeologists recently uncovered the remains of a long-lost medieval village, thanks to pre-construction excavations for an offshore wind farm project.
On Dec. 9, Wessex Archaeology announced its team had discovered a previously unknown Anglo-Saxon settlement near Friston, a modern village in East Suffolk, England.
The digs were carried out in conjunction with the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA). The Anglo-Saxon settlement was a "small community living in wooden longhouses," according to officials.
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"These weren’t just living spaces … [They] also acted as social hubs, with a central hearth for cooking and keeping warm," the press release said.
"Although the wooden buildings have long rotted away, the remains of post holes show they were substantial structures, up to 19 meters [62 feet] long by 6 meters [20 feet] wide."
Pictures from the excavation show archaeologists holding some of the ancient artifacts that were uncovered, including flint tools and pottery fragments.
Some of the finds date before the Anglo-Saxons, including an arrowhead made between 4,000 and 6,000 years ago.
"Designed to cover long distances for hunting, [the arrowhead's] sharpened edges and point are incredibly fragile and usually break in the ground, making this a rare find," Wessex Archaeology said.
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The excavation was carried out ahead of the development of East Anglia TWO and ONE North Projects, an offshore wind farm being built by ScottishPower Renewables, a MOLA spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The official said the most interesting finds included medieval kilns and fragile, ancient flints that include arrowheads and an axe head.
"An exciting discovery for the team once the settlement began to emerge was that a modern public right of way is perfectly aligned with the early medieval buildings, suggesting the footpath has been in use since the Anglo-Saxon period — and possibly before," she added.
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The settlement was abandoned in the 1300s, though the cause is still unknown, the expert said.
"Excavations have been taking place at key points where there are onshore development areas, [like] substations," the MOLA spokesperson added.
"Our team will be exploring this during the post-excavation analysis phase of [the] work, and we hope to share more in the future."
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Researchers are slated to share more findings in a webinar on Jan. 23.
The latest discovery isn't the first time that modern construction projects have yielded historical treasures in Europe.
Last year, archaeologists unearthed 1,000-year-old treasure at a construction site for a nuclear power plant in Suffolk.
More recently, Czech excavators found multiple military graves during highway construction, both linked to Austro-Prussian wars.