THE UNIVERSITY of Reading has shed further light on the lives of hunter-gatherers from more than 7,000 years ago following its latest archaeological find.
Excavation was conducted in the Severn Estuary, undertaken by the archaeology department at the university and led by Emeritus Professor Martin Bell.
They uncovered Mesolithic fish traps in the estuary, which were likely used to catch fish and eels, as well as footprints.
They date back around 7 millennia, pre-dating the arrival of farming practises and subsequently providing further insight into how communities survived without systematic agriculture.
Human footprints were discovered, many of which belonged to children, lending further insight into the composition of different communities and showing that children as young as four were active participants in day-to-day activity.
Footprints of cranes were also uncovered in abundance, despite cranes being thought to have been extinct in the UK.
Further footprints were discovered, including those of now-extinct aurochs, a species of wild cow, and boars.
Particularly inclement weather in autumn last year provided good conditions for the exposure of footprints during low tides.
The findings are set to be featured on the Thursday, January 4, edition of BBC2’s Digging for Britain.
Professor Bell said: “The discovery is particularly important because, within the channel containing the fish traps, low tides have revealed hundreds of footprints of people, animals and birds.
He explained: “Stormy conditions in September and October 2023 revealed the best exposures of the footprints for many years.
“The dig team had to work quickly to record as much as possible during the period of low spring tides before they became covered by the sea and encroaching sand.
“These footprints provide unique insights into the composition of the community that lived here.”
He added: “Many footprints belonged to children, some as young as four, showing that they played an active part in the daily life of Mesolithic communities.
“In places, lines of footprints moving in both directions mark footpaths leading from campsites at the island edge to the channel where the traps were located.
“The footprints show how individual camps and activity areas are connected as parts of a living landscape.”
The research was part of a University of Reading project, funded in part by the National Geographic Society, and is also excavating in the Kennet Valley in Berkshire.
