Isle of Wight town dated back to Bronze Age
Evidence has been found dating the settlement of Isle of Wight town of Newport (United Kingdom) from the Bronze Age 4,500 years ago. Previously the earliest evidence indicated a Roman origin.
Contractors working on the foundation of a town house development in Crocker Street have described a string of discoveries as the peeling away of layers of an onion. An extensive vaulted cellar made from chalk and dating from the 16th century was one of the first finds, followed by remains from the Tudor and Stewart periods when excavations went further. Then much earlier artefacts archaeologists have described as significant and exciting turned up only a few weeks ago: shards of flint, pottery, and evidence of the Bronze age diet including oysters. Most importantly, beneath the remains of medieval dwellings was the discovery of post-holes, more than likely the remains of Bronze Age roundhouses.
Samples have also been taken to show what the environment was like in 2,500 BCe.
Archaeologist Kevin Trott, who has been employed for the past two months by Garth Properties to protect artefacts uncovered at Crocker Street, said "The cellar was previously well known. It had been used by Mew Langton [garages] as a wine cellar and by Newport Gun Club. Fragments of earlier evidence had been discovered in the past but there had been no previous firm discoveries to date Newport to the Bronze Age. But the location, close to Newport Quay, would be a very logical place for people to have settled at that time. After finds were excavated from the trenches they are being analysed to help build up a picture of how Newport was and how the town developed. The rest of the site will be sealed beneath the new houses."
Source: Isle of Wight County Press (9 May 2003)
Ancient bronze drum found in Vietnam
A 2,000 year old bronze drum has been unearthed by a farmer in northern Vietnam. The 22 kg drum was discovered on April 29th by Pham Van Hien, a member of the Vo Lao commune, 170 km north-west of Hanoi. "We are still evaluating the drum," says Nguyen Manh Cuong of the Lao Cai provincial museum, "It is beautiful. The surface is rusty, but otherwise the piece is in good condition." The drum is believed to be from the Dong Song period and between 2,000 and 2,500 years old.
According to Tay Lu Xuan Dang, a commune official from the Tay ethnic minority group, stone axes, bronze arrowheads and other basic tools have been found in the commune, but this is the first musical instrument. "Because 96% of our commune's population is ethnic Tay, we don't tend to know the value of these things. So we just threw them away," said Dang. The local authorities are deciding on an appropriate reward for the find.
Source: iol.co.za (9 May 2003)
Secure future for Iron Age site
A combination of local fundraising and grants has secured the preservation of Credenhill Iron Age Hill Fort near Hereford (England). The Hill Fort, dated to around 200 BCe, is one of the largest structures of its kind in the UK and is thought to have been an Iron Age tribal capital. The whole area, including Park Wood, has been purchased by the Woodland Trust. £70,000 was raised locally and grants were received from the Severn Waste Environmental Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Shrouded by a conifer plantation but with extensive visible ramparts, little is known of the Fort and virtually no historic material has so far been recovered. The Woodland Trust will now be working with Herefordshire Council's Archaeology Department to conduct detailed surveys of the site.
A celebration of the purchase was held on Sunday 11th May.
Source: BBC News (10 May 2003)
