Archaeologists Unearth 'Britain's Pompeii'

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Archaeologists Unearth 'Britain's Pompeii'
The 3,000-year-old settlement in the Fens has provided a unique insight into the lives of families in Bronze Age Britain.

12:08, UK, Tuesday 12 January 2016
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Archaeologists have discovered wooden roundhouses dating back thousands of years, with some calling it 'Britain's Pompeii'.

The dig at Must Farm quarry in Cambridgeshire has also unearthed a human skull, ceramics, jewels and weapons.

The finds provide a unique insight into the lives of families in Bronze Age Britain.

The houses, which were built on stilts, were apparently damaged in a fire which caused them to fall into a river.

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The ancient Roman site of Pompeii was devastated by a volcanic eruption

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Silt in the river helped preserve pots with food still inside. Human and animal remains have also been found.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, likened the settlement to the ancient Roman site of Pompeii, which was devastated by a volcanic eruption.

He told Sky News: "The nearest analogy I can think of is Pompeii where there was a catastrophe and everybody left very quickly, leaving behind their food vessels, and some died in the process.

"We have found human remains which we are in the process of excavating."

The archaeological team are now hoping to find out if the fire was started deliberately and why the 3,000-year-old settlement was abandoned.

http://news.sky.com/story/1621113/archaeologists-unearth-britains-pompeii