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Belmarsh trackway older than Stonehenge
by Simon at 13:44 13/08/09 (Blogs::Simon)
Here's an interesting story - archaeologists have discovered the remains of a timber trackway near Belmarsh prison in London, with a carbon date of 6000BP (before present).

Buried in the report is a yet more interesting bit...

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/4544246.BELMARSH__Timber_trackway_500_years_older_than_Stonehenge_found_by_archaeologists/

Diccon Hart, the archaeologist who lead the excavation, says the wetlands next to the Thames were an important source of food in prehistoric times and that trackways made it easier for people to cross the terrains.

His team also found a piece of log with unusually well-preserved tool marks made by a metal axe (emphasis added).

So that's a 6000 year old metal axe then? Or was the wood already ancient when the trackway was made?

Hmm.
--
simon

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Belmarsh trackway older than Stonehenge Simon - 13:44 13/08/09
Re: Belmarsh trackway older than Stonehenge Dominic Search - 15:44 14/08/09
Cool find :)

But I want to know more about this axe... the tantalising statement in this lamentably short populist bit of journalism suggests the use of metal tools during the mid Neolithic period, which is a pretty good story in itself.

Re: Belmarsh trackway older than Stonehenge Simon - 16:43 14/08/09
Imagineer pointed me at an interesting New Scientist article about metal tool use in the British Isles.

As to the journalism, it's amazing what the condensing of information will do to lose critical contexts. Try this one, on the same subject

... and note that the axe-worked piece of wood is early bronze age, not 6000 years old after all.

--
simon

Re: Belmarsh trackway older than Stonehenge Dominic Search - 16:50 14/08/09
Thanks... Looks like the NS site is having problems ATM so will look later. I guess it's still too fresh a find to have a range of academic responses yet... and in a way a pity about the later dating of the axe ;-)