Animal bones, cooking pots and other remains of a farming community dating back as far as the Iron Age have been uncovered.
The excavations on the Monksfields development site in St Neots, undertaken by Pre-Construct Archaeology (PCA), have been taking place across an area equivalent to 26 football pitches.
Archaeologists have so far uncovered evidence of people living and farming on the site for more than 700 years, from around 200 BC to at least the sixth century.
“We have many simple cooking pots, quern stones for grinding flour, and the butchered bones of animals from many a long-forgotten meal,” Mark Hinman, director and regional manager at PCA, said.
“Although the excavation is just passing the midway point, we can clearly make out the development of the site over time.”
The excavations have taken place over several stages, including field walking and a geophysical survey in 2011 and trial trenching last year.
Mr Hinman believes people first settled in the area between 400 BC and 100 BC.
“Visitors would see the distinctive thatched roundhouses of the local population dotted across the landscape, with family and neighbours living within a stone’s throw of each other,” he said.
“Successive generations lived on this land, improving drainage, managing livestock, adding buildings and roads much like today.”
Monksfields is adjacent to the Love’s Farm site where L&Q Estates received permission to develop a further 100 acres of land for up to 1,020 homes, with work due to start next year.
A total of 2,400 new homes is planned for Love’s Farm.
The excavations have been carried out in line with requirements of the planning permission to record the history of the area whilst still available for examination, ahead of any building being carried out.
Darren Mace, projects director at L&Q Estates, understood the importance of the archaeological work before building work gets started.
“Prior to the Love’s Farm project, there was little evidence for past activity in the immediate area,” he said.
“But this work has demonstrated the importance of development-led archaeology in addressing current gaps in our knowledge and to help bring forgotten communities from the Iron Age and Roman periods back to life.”
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