The skeleton of a woman in her early thirties who lived during the Bronze Age was unearthed at a building site.
The well-preserved human remains were discovered in a burial plot, as well as skeletal fragments belonging to another female, during a dig carried out on a site earmarked for 41 homes in Ramsgate.
A near complete Bronze Age skeleton found in a ‘crouch burial’ off Cottington Road, Ramsgate. Picture: SWAT Archaeology
An archaeological survey ahead of construction found evidence of “prolonged occupations” ranging from the Bronze Age through to the post-medieval period, a report published this month revealed.
Swale and Thames Archaeological Survey Company (SWAT Archaeology) lays out the significance of the discoveries, writing: “The importance of this site within the context of Thanet archaeology cannot be underestimated.”
The unexpected finds were made by SWAT Archaeology as developer Orbit Homes secured permission to build a 41-home estate north of Cottington Road and east of Lavender Lane in March 2021.
As well as human remains, a myriad of ditches, enclosures and established Roman road were unearthed, as was a possible prehistoric ’monumental’ ditch with an intact beaker burial. A beaker burial refers to the custom of burying the dead with a distinctively shaped pot, carried out in Britain from about 2,500BC until 1,800BC.
The near complete early Bronze Age skeleton was found in a ‘crouch burial’ on the southern part of the site, and the woman was estimated to be between 30 and 35-years-old at the time of her death.
SWAT Archeaology excavated the Thanet site and found expansive ruins and artefacts. Picture: SWAT Archaeology
A crouch burial occurs when the dead are interred on their sides, with knees pulled up to their chest, and evidence of this practice is often found in Bronze Age sites.
Excavaters also found remains of others – including a skull fragment, thought to be from an adolescent or young adult woman from 500- 400BC.
The pit in which that fragment was found also contained burnt flint, pottery, animal remains and worked flint – meaning rocks which were likely used as tools.
Animal parts were also found, including two dogs in a Roman burial.
A variety of other remains from throughout the ages were uncovered – including from goats, sheep, cattle, a crow, and a cat, which SWAT Archaeology described as deriving from “a mixture of carcass processing, kitchen and table waste.”
Pottery found in a medieval refuse pit at the Cottington Road site. Picture: SWAT Archaeology
The remains were removed from the site and studied, and it is expected they will be archived by Kent County Council in a museum.
The development, known as Cottington Gardens, was completed in 2022.
Thanet was separated from mainland Kent by the Wanstsum Channel from the early Bronze Age until the medieval period.
The district is distinctive for its range and density of surviving archaeological remains.
Pegwell Bay, on the southern edge, is thought to be where invading Romans first landed in Britain, and the Christian mission to the British Isles led by St Augustine landed nearby in 597AD.
The beaker found alongside ancient remains. Picture: SWAT Archaeology
Dr Paul Wilkinson, who led the excavation, said such burials are not unusual but “tell a story about the development of Britain from the Bronze Age right up until now.”
He added: “None of this investigative work would be possible except for the planning condition which ensured the developer paid for excavation and curation costs of any discoveries.”
Brian Nearney, regional managing director at Orbit Homes, said: “We were delighted to complete the delivery of homes at Cottington Gardens in Cliffsend in 2022.
“We enlisted SWAT Archaeology as part of the pre-construction programme we undertake at every site, and we’re delighted to see them unearth such interesting finds from several periods.
“It has been an incredible experience for the Orbit Homes team to watch the archaeologists undertake excavation of the site and now start to learn more about the significance of the artefacts that were discovered.”
The complete Cottington Gardens development, in Cliffsend, Ramsgate, where the Bronze Age burial plot was unearthed. Picture: Google Images
Kent has played host to many archeaological digs, with some remarkable finds made.
In 2023, workers preparing a site for new homes in Teynham, near the A2, discovered items dating back some 1,700 years – among them a Roman statue of the sea god Triton.
That same year work on a new school in Frindsbury, near Strood, uncovered a haul of prehistoric stone tools – thought to be one of the largest ever found.
And in 2004, during excavations for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in Ebbsfleet, the preserved skeleton of the long-since extinct straight-tusked elephant was uncovered.