Archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology have found a well preserved 3,500-year-old Bronze Age spade during excavations at the “Moors at Arne" project on the Isle of Purbeck, England.
The “Moors at Arne” project is an ongoing initiative to develop new tidal embankments and infrastructure, aimed at restoring coastal wetland habitats lost to rising sea levels. The project is a collaboration between the Environment Agency, RSPB, and Natural England, covering an area of 150 hectares.
A desk based assessment written by Atkins, the project consultants, identified evidence of significant salt and pottery production in the area that dates from the Iron Age and Roman periods, as well as traces of possible Roman pottery production just outside the site.
Following this, Wessex Archaeology conducted an extensive fieldwork program, including geophysical surveys and excavations in the areas of the proposed the embankments. This work has provided new insights into the changing landscape over time, and how human interactions with the moors have evolved.