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A prehistoric site has been discovered in Bedfordshire. Around 25 monumental puts dating back to the Mesolithic period, which was between 12,000 and 6,000 years ago have been uncovered in Linmere, much to the amazement of archaeologists.
The pits could offer new insights into the way our ancestors lived, each are in alignments and clustered around former stream channels. So far, this is the biggest collection of pits to be discovered in a single area in England and Wales.
Archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), who are conducting research at the site told reporters: “This date makes the site incredibly significant because there are very few Mesolithic sites in the UK that are this substantial, evidence from this period is often slim, only consisting of flint tools and occasional animal remains.”
The site is being explored as part of two separate development projects, with MOLA excavating one and Albion Archaeology working on another. Inside some of the pits, animal bones were found, including the remains of aurochs, a wild species of cow, suggesting that people may have been using them for food.
Professor Joshua Pollard of Southampton University and who has previously worked on projects at Stonehenge and Avebury, told reporters that the discovery was very exciting. He said: “While we know of other large pits dug by hunter gatherers elsewhere in Britain, the Linemere pits are striking because of their number and the wide area they cover.”
The pits are huge, each one measures around 5 meters wide and 1.85 deep, with round, steep sides. Archaeologists have wondered what the pits would have been used for, the layout of these particular ones seem to indicate a spiritual significance. There may be further discoveries to be made in the area and research is continuing as to whether the pits were built and used at the same time and to learn more about our ancestors. Several discoveries regarding the plantlife of the time have been made, with pollen that has survived from the Mesolithic period being studied.
