Bronze ring unearthed in West Durrington

[GL]

Bronze ring unearthed in West Durrington

Artefacts not seen for about 3,000 years have been discovered at the site of a new hospice.

Among the finds at the spot where the £13.5 million hospice will be built is an ancient bronze “doughnut”.

Volunteer metal detector enthusiast John Cole found the ring, possibly a Bronze Age ingot used as currency, in a field off Titnore Lane, West Durrington, Worthing.

Archaeologists have also unearthed large quantities of Roman and prehistoric pottery after stripping away hundreds of tons of topsoil using mechanical diggers and dumper trucks.

They are currently concentrating on a 50m square area to the north east of the site – about a tenth of the entire area they will be examining over the next six or seven weeks.

Phil Emery, of London-based archaeological consultants Gifford, said the ring was the first significant find and potentially very important, although its age still had to be verified by experts.

He added: “We have been finding quite large shards of Roman pottery and some Iron Age pottery, which is very soft and crumbly and therefore tends to be found in smaller fragments.”

The pottery, and some worked flints, had been found roughly half a metre below the surface.

Workers armed with pickaxes, shovels, wheelbarrows and small trowels have contended with dust storms whipped up by strong winds.

They are praying for overnight rain which dampened the exposed soil and showed up features such as ditches or pits not otherwise visible.

As the search progresses, the archaeologists intend to involve the public, and especially schools, in a community dig overseen by Worthing Archaeological Society.

The site is just north of Northbrook College, which was built on the remains of a Roman villa.

Archaeologists hope to find relics dating back almost 10,000 years to the Mesolithc period, which was shortly after the Ice Age.

Once the dig is completed, work will begin on the construction of a new St Barnabas House hospice to replace the charity’s ageing complex in Columbia Drive, West Durrington.

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[La Beep]

Re: Bronze ring unearthed in West Durrington

Why in a quote box?

 

[GL]

Re: Bronze ring unearthed in West Durrington

Because I didn't write that article. I cut and pasted from another site so I always use quote tags.