The modernization of the A14 motorway between Cambridge and Huntingdon in England required large-scale archaeological investigations. As a result of excavations, scientists found evidence of human activity from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages.

Archaeologists have retrieved more than five thousand flint artifacts, numerous pottery fragments from different periods, as well as several prehistoric sanctuaries and tombs, the oldest of which is dated to the Mesolithic period (about 10,000-4,000 BC).

Iron Age finds include evidence of brewing dating to 400 BC, an ornate long-handled comb, and a wooden ladder from 525-457 BC. The Roman period is presented in particular:

• ceramic,
• A rare coin minted during the reign of Emperor Lelian in the 3rd century AD.
• a door amulet with the carved face of the gorgon Medusa,
• artificial pond,
• military camp
• an unusual cemetery.

Early medieval finds include the remains of three large settlements, one of which contains a forge. Textile tools and jewelry pieces also belong to this period.

Amulet from a human skull

Researchers from the Archaeological Museum of London report a new find made during salvage excavations in the village of Bar Hill (Cambridgeshire). At this settlement, archaeologists found an unusual piece of bone artifact dating back to the Iron Age (750 BC – 43 AD).

At first the find was thought to be a bone comb, but a more detailed study by osteologists led by Michael Marshall continued. The object turned out to be made of human skull fragment. And the absence of wear indicates that the artifact was not used for utilitarian purposes. Because a circular hole was drilled into it, the researchers suggested that the object might have been worn as an amulet.

An amulet made from a fragment of a human skull was found in the village of Bar Hill (Cambridgeshire) / Photo: MOLA

The researchers noted that amulets made from human skull bones were common in Iron Age Britain. However, the find in the village of Bar Tepesi is also interesting because it resembles a comb. In the 1970s and 2000s, two similar objects were found in England 15-16 kilometers from the settlement. Perhaps the artifacts point to a tradition unique to this part of Britain.