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Neolithic Tridents Discovered

News December 6, 2013

(© Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust)
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Neolithic-wooden-trident
(© Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust)
CARLISLE, ENGLAND—Two wooden tridents from the Neolithic era have been discovered in an extinct river channel in northern England and are set to go on display at the Tullie House Musem. Measuring six feet long, the tridents were made with stone tools from a single oak plank. Carbon dating of the artifacts shows they are between 5,900 and 5,400 years old, an era when farming first began to be practiced in the area. The tridents could have had an agricultural use, but might have also been used for hunting or fishing. Only four other wooden tridents have been found in the UK, all of which were discovered in the 19th century. 

 

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