The oldest carved piece of wood in Britain is 6,000 years old, 2,000 years older than Stonehenge.
The heavily carved oak wood found in the peat bog is the oldest carved piece of wood in the UK, over 6,000 years old, experts say.
The mysterious markings were made by late Mesolithic people. 2000 years before Stonehenge – and 4500 years before the arrival of the Romans in Britain.
A meter-long (3.2 ft) blackened piece of wood was found in peat during the construction of an outhouse in the village of Boxford in Berkshire.
Experts suggest that the carving is 500 years older. the only known Mesolithic carved wood in Great Britain.discovered near Merdie in Wales.
Historical England dates the specimen to the late Mesolithic period, which lasted between 4640 and 4605 BC.
Britain’s oldest decorative carving has marks made by Late Mesolithic people over 6,000 years ago.
It was discovered during the construction of an outbuilding on a site in the historic village of Boxford in Berkshire.
The purpose of the wood carvings is unknown, but experts believe they are similar to decorations seen on early Neolithic pottery.
The markings are also reminiscent of those found on the oldest carved wood, the figurine. known as the Shigir Idol – a wooden sculpture found in the Ural Mountains of Russia.
The 12,500-year-old Shigir idol is believed to be the oldest example of carved wood in the world.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “It is remarkable that when doing routine building work, a piece of modest-looking decorative wood turns out to be the oldest ever found in Britain.”
“This exciting find has helped shed new light on our distant past, and we are grateful to the landowner for recognizing its significance.
“Astonishing discoveries like these remind us of the power of archeology to uncover hidden narratives that connect us to our roots.”
The swampy carved oak is one meter long, 0.42 meters wide and 0.2 meters thick (3.2 feet by 1.3 feet by 0.6 feet).
It was discovered during excavation work to build the workshop and was found about 1.5 meters (5 ft) below the surface near the current bed of the Lambourne River in a layer of peat.
Boxford is a Berkshire village northwest of Newbury where the timber will eventually be put on display.
The large timber was cut 2000 years before Stonehenge was built (2500 BC) and has been dated by Historic England to the late Mesolithic period (4640 BC – 4605 BC) .).
The purpose of the markings on the tree is unknown, but they are similar to decorations seen on early Neolithic pottery, experts say.
Peat is able to preserve organic materials such as wood for thousands of years because normal decay processes are slowed down by the lack of oxygen in peat.
The wood was removed and later that day it was cleaned and some marks were found that did not appear natural.
Landowner Derek Fawcett, a retired urological surgeon, said: “This was a rather unexpected find at the bottom of a trench dug for the foundation of a new building.
“It was obviously very old and well preserved in peat.
“After washing it with a hose, we saw that it had marks on it that seemed unnatural and possibly artificial.
“I’ve been working with Historic England and the Boxford Historical Project since I found it over four years ago when the wood was radiocarbon dated.”
Together with scientists from the Nottingham Tree Ring Dating Laboratory and the Center for Isotope Research at the University of Groningen, Historic England conducted a radiocarbon dating of a piece of wood that had been cut into individual tree rings.
The data showed that there was a 95% chance that this piece of wood dates from around the Late Mesolithic (4640-4605 BC).
Experts from Historic England, in collaboration with scientists from the Nottingham Tree Ring Dating Laboratory and the Center for Isotope Research at the University of Groningen, radiocarbon dated a piece of wood that had been dissected into individual tree rings. The data shows that there is a 95 percent chance that this piece of wood dates from around 4640-4605 BC.
The timber was donated to the West Berkshire Museum in Newbury where it will eventually be put on display.
After being notified of the find in 2019, West Berkshire Council archaeologist Sarah Orr contacted Historic England for expert advice.
To coincide with museum week (June 5-11), Derek Fawcett donated the timber to the West Berkshire Museum in Newbury, where it will eventually be put on display.
The museum is also working with the Boxford History Project to arrange for the loan of timber to the heritage center of the village of Boxford.
Further research may provide more information about the oak markings and their context, said Janine Fox, curator at the West Berkshire Museum.