OXFORD, ENGLAND—Evidence of human activity dating back 12,000 years has been uncovered at a housing construction site in Nottinghamshire, according to a report from BBC News. The finds, made by researchers from Oxford Archaeology, include an enclosure dating to around 3300 B.C., which was located at the head of a spring, suggesting it had special significance to the people who used it. The enclosure contains the remnants of a series of internal posts and pits, possibly forming one or more concentric arcs of upright timbers. A polished stone ax found at the site likely dates to around the same time as the enclosure, though it was buried with Iron Age pottery dating to some 3,000 years later. The ax has marks showing it was used as a whetstone, indicating that it was a valued possession for many generations. Around three dozen cremation burials from the Bronze Age were found, along with necklace beads from the same period. Among the most significant discoveries at the site are 73 well-preserved Roman kilns, along with a large amount of pottery, suggesting that the site was previously unknown as a major pottery production center. To read about a road construction project in England that unearthed material spanning thousands of years, go to “Letter from England: Building a Road Through History.”
