Amazing findings in a 3,000-year-old village; From broth to Iranian glasses

3,000 years ago, the residents of a small village in England fled their homes after a fire engulfed them; Now archaeologists have discovered buildings and objects that were preserved in the river bed.

Almost 3,000 years ago, a village in present-day Cambridgeshire burned down. As the residents fled, their buildings burned and sunk into the riverbed; Where houses and possessions were preserved and remained for thousands of years.

According to Faradid's report; Now, by excavating and analyzing the village, now called Mastfarm settlement, archaeologists have obtained a surprising and rare picture of how people lived in the Bronze Age. These findings have been published in a two-volume report by the Macdonald Institute of Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge.

Remains of timber and wooden columns that were the foundation of the houses

Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at the University of London, told CNN: “The fire may have been a disaster for the residents, but it was a blessing for the archaeologists; Because the remains of this village are a unique image of life in the Bronze Age.

Rachel Pope, an archaeologist at the University of Liverpool, also said: “This is the best evidence we have so far of the prehistoric diet and cooking methods of the period. In this ancient site, in a sense, it is as if we can walk through the door of a 3,000-year-old house and see what life was like inside it.”

Mastfarm settlement is located near the present-day English town of Whittlesey. A local archaeologist named Martin Redding accidentally came across this place in 1999; He noticed that the logs from the side of an old quarry were similar to other Bronze Age artefacts.

One of Mastfarm's most exciting discoveries was a bowl containing a concentrated, treated meal of wheat flour mixed with animal fats. Even the wooden spatula used to stir the contents was still inside the bowl.

Excavations were carried out between 2004 and 2016, and the main work took place between July 2015 and August 2016. Researchers found that the site was built in the mid-9th century BC and was twice as large as what remains today. A part of this village was destroyed in the 20th century due to mining activities.

All the inhabitants of this village probably fled at the time of the fire, but they must have left the area quickly, because archaeologists have found unfinished food in bowls, the remains of abandoned animals and other possessions.

Human and animal footprints preserved in the mud around the village for three thousand years

Researchers discovered four wooden roundhouses and a square structure held by wooden stilts above the river channel and surrounded by a curved fence. The roof of the buildings was made of straw and grass and clay were used on it.

“These people were confident and successful home builders,” Mark Knight, one of the report's authors and curator of the project at the University of Cambridge, said in a statement. “They had a design that worked beautifully for a place full of moisture and water.”

Textiles were among the numerous finds in this prehistoric site

The excavation team also identified a wide range of different properties: including more than 180 fiber and textile goods, such as yarn, cloth and knotted nets; 160 wooden artifacts, such as dishes and furniture; 120 clay dishes; 90 pieces of metal work and at least 80 glass beads.

While some objects were locally made, others were of more distant origin, such as glass beads that archaeologists believe were brought from Iran and a bronze bucket that may have come from Ireland.

The types of glass beads that archaeologists think have traveled a long way from Iran and were brought to this place.

It seems that one of the houses is divided into separate areas for different activities; Kitchen in the northeast, sleeping space in the northwest, tool storage in the east and a space for textile work in the southeast. Sheep were also kept indoors in the southwestern part, and each house had a toolbox with tools such as scythes, axes, and razors. Remains in bowls and jars show that these people ate venison with honey glaze and wheat grain porridge with broth.

The analysis showed that the village suffered a fire within a year of its construction because the timber used in the buildings showed little signs of wear.

A bronze ax with a burnt handle among the remains

As the fire burned the area, all the remains sank into the muddy water of the river that flowed beneath them. The bed of the river, which lacks oxygen, has preserved the material in good condition. Investigators are not sure what caused the village fire.