Metal Detector Uncovers Iron Age Burial Ground







30 October 2010 | posted by: Rachel Hanson | No Comment

Steve Blair, a builder by profession, is well renown for carrying around his metal detector just in case. For over 15 years he has walked around hoping to strike gold when he came across a burial ground of the Iron age era.

Hailing from Kemsing, Heaverham Road, he has hoped to uncover artifacts of substance value. He has a passion for archaeology and history and hoped to find more than Victorian pennies on his searches.
Luck shone on him when, 20 minutes after he began, the metal detector sounded and he unearthed three urns. They dated to the early roman and Iron Age period.

Metal Detector finds an Iron Age Burial Ground

The chances of him finding another batch of artifacts is highly unlikely and he lead a team of archeologists to find another 19 urns in the vicinity of his find.

The discovery started when Steve was walking around a field with his metal detector. The field has been dug up for creation of a new pipeline by South East Water; which was meant to reinforce the supply of water between Oak Bank Reservoir and Kemsing Water Treatment Works.

The archaeologists stated the find was a rare find in Otford Mount and Oldbury Hill.

A team from Kent Archaeological Project spent over a week unearthing the artifacts. Two urns were found near each other; one with sharp edges and another one curved, believing they were the remains for a wife and husband. Next to the urn lay a brooch.

The director of the archaeological group Tim Allen stated that the burial ground could mean there was a big settlement near the ground. They expected to find bone and a few other substances but not of financial value. Some urns remained intact while others crumbled after being uncovered.

Plans were underway to glue the pots and keep them in storage.

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