The 'Peterborough Pompeii' has been discovered in an extraordinary archaeological find in Cambridgeshire.
It has been buried away and has been unearthed at the edge of Must Farm Quarry in Whittlesey.
The dig, run by Cambridge University's Cambridge Archaeological Unit, reveals how people lived in the area thousands of years ago in the Bronze Age.
The 'Peterborough Pompeii' has been discovered in an extraordinary archaeological find, which experts say could transform our understanding of the Bronze Age
Pots discovered in the archaeological dig at Must Farm Quarry in Cambridgeshire. The find is expected to transform our understanding of the Bronze Age
Archaeologists are set to step inside a Bronze Age home for the first time in an extraordinary dig revealing amazing details of how people lived thousands of years ago. Pictured is Selina Davenport working at the site
Pots recovered from a Bronze Age settlement destroyed in a fire 3,000 years ago, at Must Farm Quarry in Cambridgeshire
The dwellings discovered at the brick quarry were built on stilts on a river and were destroyed in a fire 3,000 years ago.
The remains plunged into the water and silt, preserving them so well that archaeologists suggested it felt almost 'rude' to excavate a home that seemed as if its owners were still nearby.
It is now being compared to the Roman city Pompeii in Southern Italy, because it provides a time capsule into Bronze Age life just as the era was ending.
A £1.1million project to excavate the site, funded by government heritage agency Historic England, and quarry-owners Forterra, has been launched.
Already the site has turned up jars with food still inside, wooden bowls, animal bones, textiles and glass beads that suggest people 'at the top of their society'.
The dig, which began in August last year with the removal of two metres of earth, has also exposed a well-preserved palisade fence made of ash trees, wattle walls and the remains of the roof of one of the roundhouses destroyed in the fire that took place between 920BC and 800BC.
More finds are expected when the charred, collapsed roof beams are removed to expose the inside of the dwelling.
Archaeologist Selina Davenport works on the site of a Bronze Age settlement destroyed in a fire 3,000 years ago, at Must Farm Quarry in Cambridgeshire
Already the site has turned up jars with food still inside, wooden bowls, animal bones, textiles and glass beads that suggest people 'at the top of their society'. Pictured is a pot found in the dig
A middle to late Bronze Age tanged dagger recovered from a settlement destroyed in a fire 3,000 years ago, at Must Farm Quarry
The dwellings discovered at the brick quarry were built on stilts on a river and were destroyed in the fire 3,000 years ago
The dig, run by Cambridge University's Cambridge Archaeological Unit, reveals how people lived in the area thousands of years ago in the Bronze Age
An archaeologist holds out an animal bone which they found in the extraordinary dig, among a number of other artefacts
The team hope to discover if the blaze was set deliberately at the end of the dwelling's life, was an accident or was done by hostile forces. They will investigate this with the help of a fire expert
Mark Knight, site director of the excavation, said: 'We are, effectively, for the first time in British history about to go inside a Bronze Age roundhouse.
'We're going to go inside a Bronze Age home, we're going to see what's in there, what they were wearing, what they were eating on the day of the fire.
'We'll understand what the world they lived in looked like, what it smelt like. It's a world we've dreamed about getting into. Here we have it in that space.'
A human skull has also been found, but Mr Knight said further excavation was needed to discover if there were more remains and whether the person had died in the fire, or was the skull of an enemy or an ancestor being displayed - 'Granny's head' hung up by the door.
The team hope to discover if the blaze was set deliberately at the end of the dwelling's life, was an accident or was done by hostile forces. They will investigate this with the help of a fire expert.
It is now being compared to the Roman city Pompeii in Southern Italy, because it provides a time capsule into Bronze Age life just as the era was ending. Pictured are some of the artefacts found in the dig
Archaeologist Selina Davenport works on the site of a Bronze Age settlement destroyed in a fire 3,000 years ago
Mark Knight, site director of the excavation, said: 'We are, effectively, for the first time in British history about to go inside a Bronze Age roundhouse'. Pictured is Selina Davenport working on the site
The Must Farm excavation is the first large-scale investigation of deeply buried sediments in The Fens, and is at a site which has produced a number of prehistoric finds, including nine pristinely-preserved log boats in 2011
Pictured is preparations for the final 'deep clean' of the burnt wood mass for one of the quadrants. The entire area under the scaffold frame has to be painstakingly cleaned and all of the timber present needs to be washed down.
A £1.1million project to excavate the site, funded by government heritage agency Historic England, and quarry-owners Forterra, has been launched
When it is complete, the finds will be taken for further analysis, then displayed at Peterborough Museum and other venues
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: 'This site is of international significance and its excavation really will transform our understanding of the period.'
This amazing piece of wood is fairly heavily charred, except for a section in its centre where it is virtually untouched. It is very likely that another timber was secured to this one which shielded the original from the main heat of the fire
Mr Knight said the site was unprecedented in both the quantity and quality of the finds.
He said: 'Normally when you dig dry land sites, you're lucky if you find a few shards, here we're finding complete pots, often with the food inside them.'
Mr Knight added that experts had found a range of different sized pots 'like someone has gone to Habitat and bought the whole set'.
Mr Knight added that experts had found a range of different sized pots 'like someone has gone to Habitat and bought the whole set'
The very dark, thick posts are oak and they usually have prominent tool marks on. The thinner, browner timbers are ash and make up the palisade and some of the interior posts
Archaeologists work on the site of a Bronze Age settlement destroyed in a fire 3,000 years ago. The dig started at Must Farm Quarry, Cambridgeshire, in August last year
The Must Farm excavation is the first large-scale investigation of deeply buried sediments in The Fens, and is at a site which has produced a number of prehistoric finds, including nine pristinely-preserved log boats in 2011.
When it is complete, the finds will be taken for further analysis, then displayed at Peterborough Museum and other venues.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: 'This site is of international significance and its excavation really will transform our understanding of the period.'
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