Blade find reveals Ice Age settlement
Archaeologists believe they have found the UK’s largest open-air Ice Age human settlement under a field in Farndon.
They unearthed part of a blade more than 14,000 years old, hailing it as an invaluable discovery.
The fragment proves that humans lived at the site during the late upper palaeolithic era, and reveals more about human life in Britain at the end of the last Ice Age.
Little is known about how the humans lived in the open air before the Stone Age, with archaeologists finding similar tools only in caves prior to this discovery.
Mr John Miller, of Farndon Archaeology Research Investigations (Fari) said: “We were confident we would find something like this object.
“We were relieved as well to get the confirmation that we are on the right track. It’s an invaluable find.”
Mr David Budge, of East Midlands Archaeological Services, said: “This site is already of national significance because open-air sites like this are incredibly rare.
“Right now it’s definitely the most important archaeological site in Nottinghamshire.
“Our discoveries could have scientific importance as well, because these people were living in a change of climate, similar to our change of climate today.”
The upper palaeolithic era, roughly 50,000 to 10,000 years ago, is also known as the late Stone Age, with the blade found believed to be from near the end of that period.
It is thought humans followed herds of animals through Britain, as the temperatures were getting warmer, and that the Farndon site could have been a vantage point where animals and humans crossed the rivers Devon and Trent.
The discovery increases the chances of finding a buried landscape of the settlement, and Fari hope to dig down and find more objects that will cast light on the technology and culture of the humans.
Professor Nick Barton, who teaches archaeology at Oxford University, said: “The humans have left signs of their activities and it looks likely there is a landscape underneath the soil that will answer more questions about what the people were doing there.
“It’s a stunning site and a great opportunity for us to learn about something we know very little about.”
The project was awarded £50,000 from the Heritage Lottery.
