Incredibly Rare 3,500-Year-Old Wooden Spade Found In English Trench

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - An extraordinarily rare 3,500-year-old wooden spade has been discovered by archaeologists in the wetlands near Poole Harbour on England's south coast, where Wessex Archaeology has conducted excavations for several years.

Initially, archaeologists thought that they had uncovered a tree root. However, upon further examination, it was determined that the discovery was, in fact, a wooden spade dating back to the Bronze Age. Credit: Wessex Archaeology

This remarkable find emerged during efforts to create coastal habitats in response to climate change. It is among the oldest and most complete Bronze Age wooden spades ever unearthed in the UK. Wessex Archaeology highlights that it is exceptionally uncommon for organic materials such as wood to survive over such an extensive period; however, due to the waterlogged conditions of the site, this artifact has endured for more than three millennia, offering valuable insights into the seasonal practices of Bronze Age communities. The spade was carved from a single piece of oak.

Phil Trim, one of the leading archaeologists involved in its recovery, described it as a "once-in-a-career-type find," emphasizing its rarity and uniqueness as an ancient wooden object. The spade provides a window into life during an era when people increasingly engaged in agriculture and settled living arrangements. Trim noted that even during the Bronze Age, this area was quite wet, rendering permanent habitation improbable. It is believed that individuals visited during summer months to collect resources like peat for fuel or reeds and thatch for constructing homes, boats, and arrows.

Archaeologists uncovered one of the oldest and most complete wooden tools ever found in Britain. Credit: Wessex Archaeology

Archaeologists have found no evidence of permanent year-round settlement at this site due to its wetland nature. Ed Treasure from Wessex Archaeology in Salisbury suggests that this landscape was likely used seasonally: people might have brought animals for summer grazing or harvested peat and reeds.

A 3D model of the wooden spade, which was likely carved from a single piece of oak. Credit: Wessex Archaeology

Future research will explore how this spade was crafted and utilized. Treasure speculates it may have been employed for cutting peat on-site or digging the ring gully where it was found.

Preserved tools from this era are exceedingly rare; another example includes the Brynlow shovel discovered in Cheshire in 1875—later rediscovered by fantasy writer Alan Garner—and radiocarbon dated nearly 4,000 years ago.

Treasure explained that preservation occurred because watery conditions prevented oxygen exposure necessary for wood-decaying fungi growth; nonetheless, extracting such a fragile artifact intact required careful conservation measures including 3D modeling.

See also: More Archaeology News

Wessex Archaeology announced plans to freeze-dry this ancient discovery using chemicals preventing shrinkage upon water removal—ensuring proper storage while preserving historical integrity—a true testament to uncovering our past heritage!

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Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer