|
Title: Well I never? Post by: Charles Cater on May 23, 2009, 09:52:44 AM A Bronze Age road has been found below Swansea's shifting foreshore.
The short section of track was discovered by a metal detector enthusiast and archaeologists have now dated it to around 4,000 years ago. Woven from narrow branches of oak and alder the structure was covered in a thin layer of brushwood to provide a level walking-surface. It was found in March when it was uncovered by storms but has since disappeared back under the marine clay. Brian Price, a member of the Swansea Metal Detecting Club, reported the discovery opposite the Brynmill area to the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust. A sample was sent to the Beta Analytic Radiocarbon Laboratory in Florida for dating and was found to be from the early Bronze Age - sometime between 2140 and 1930BC. The track was woven from narrow branches of oak and alder Andrew Sherman, assistant project officer, said: "During the early Bronze Age the climate was drier and warmer than today and the sea level was significantly lower. "The trackway was therefore probably built through a wet, marshy environment. "Because it has been eroded by the tide it is impossible to tell whether the entire trackway was composed of hurdles, or whether occasional hurdles were laid to cross particularly wet patches of ground." The trust said there was very little evidence of Early Bronze Age settlements in the area with lots of funeral and ritual sites such as barrows, cairns and standing stones, but no habitation structures. "The explanation for this may simply lie in the nature of a nomadic existence, which militates against the construction of substantial dwellings," added Mr Sherman. Title: Re: Well I never? Post by: sodbuster on May 23, 2009, 10:10:52 AM Amazing discovery Charles
Title: Re: Well I never? Post by: Al.Thepastfinder, ( Alan ) on May 23, 2009, 10:14:41 AM yeah interesting Charles, there used to be a medieval village out there untill the see reclaimed it,
Title: Re: Well I never? Post by: Charles Cater on May 23, 2009, 02:39:35 PM Might be worth its while to ask if you can detect around there. It looks like it has already happened. You look at the antics of those that detect on a rally, some of them don't even overlap the head of the detector, look at what they may be missing.
I used to detect when the first snow arrived and see where my members went, you would be surprised at the groud that was missed. As said before, I used to mark out about 30 Square yards and go North to South then East to West and the Diagonally. Of course we all can't be perfect eh!!! ;D Title: Re: Well I never? Post by: DIGGA on May 24, 2009, 10:41:29 AM AMAZING YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT USED TO BE SOMEWHERE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO
|