FARMING FROM 6,000 YEARS AGO

FARMING FROM 6,000 YEARS AGO

09:45 - 27 October 2007

Evidence of the farming methods of hunter-gatherers from more than 6,000 years ago have surfaced in Washingborough.

Rare criss-crossed ploughing tracks were uncovered before the construction of new business units on Smile Lane.

The feint lines were uncovered during four weeks of painstakingly removing layers of soil by hand.

And they were made by a rudimentary tool called an ard - a form of early plough.

And flint tools buried in the soil have been bagged and tagged for proper identification.

The find is significant because it shows how our ancestors farmed in the Witham Valley.

Mark Allen, of Allen Archaeological Associates, was leading the investigation.

He said the marks had been so well preserved because of a soil bank built by Romans.

The material that was thrown up during its construction had gradually covered the field and protecting it from drainage water.

"This dates from the Neolithic period and it is very rare," he said.

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