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3:10pm Thursday 8th December 2011 in News
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have been showing off their discoveries from a dig in the Meon Valley.
Thames Valley Archaeological Services spent the week excavating a site north of West Meon near the A32.
The site had been used as a burial ground during both the Bronze Age period around 1700 BC and then again as a Saxon Cemetery around 700AD.
Dr Steve Ford, leader of the dig, said: “We have found around 30/35 graves and these are pagan Anglo Saxon men so some are buried with spears and we have also found a shield.
“Others are buried with knives and glass and stone beads and other bits of metal work so it has been quite a good find.”
Dr Ford added: “The human remains are really important because we can quite a bit of science on the subject, we can analyse them and work out what they lived on and where they came from originally.
“It’s important to find out their origins because it can reveal much about English Anglo Saxon history.”
TVAS are no strangers to digs in the area having excavated Winchester Park and Ride South site in 2008.
They invited West Meon residents to the site on Sunday, November 20, for an open day with 130 turning out to inspect their findings, while classes from West Meon CE Primary School also visited.
Dr Brown said: “The school teaches pupils about Anglo Saxon history so hopefully it has been quite useful for them.”
The dig ended on Friday, November 25 with the site now being developed for social housing by Hyde Housing Association.
A human skeleton found at the site in West Meon
