Before construction work could begin at the Lower Hoddern Farm site, archaeologists inspected the land for any finds by carefully removing the topsoil. During this work the teams uncovered some interesting finds including a Neolithic pit, which dates from around 3000-4000 BC. The small pit contained a large quantity of worked flints, including axe-thinning flakes and pottery from round-based bowls.
Archaeologist Rob Masefield explained: “The Neolithic period saw the first farmers and first use of pottery. The finds show that people were active and probably farming in this area following clearance of forests using flint axes.”
“Soil samples taken from the pit will be processed to establish whether cereal grains are present, as these could show the types of crops being grown at the time.”
Iron Age features had previously been found in the southern area of the Lower Hoddern Farm site and there have been further finds by archaeologists this time, the most interesting of which was a complete Iron Age pot.
