POOLE, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that researchers led by Jon Milward of Bournemouth University Archaeological Research Consultancy have excavated a Bronze Age monument in southern England’s New Forest National Park. Originally constructed around 2100 B.C., the oval-shaped ring ditch was gradually enlarged and is thought to have been used as a meeting space for generations. Later, the monument was used as a cremation cemetery. The researchers have uncovered five urns containing cremated human bone dated to between 1500 and 1100 B.C. The team also found charred hazelnut shells dated to between 5736 and 5643 B.C. that could point to the presence of a Mesolithic campsite in the area. “We know of a few Mesolithic sites close to Beaulieu River and it appears there was another at this site,” Milward said. To read about an 11,000-year-old engraved shale pendant found in northern England, go to "Mesolithic Markings."
