Archaeologists working on a site near Lincoln, England, having uncovered wooden and stone artefacts, some dating back to 3,000 years ago.
    The site was discovered during work on a flood bank strengthening scheme on the River Witham near Washinborough. Since November last year, over 10,000 items have been removed from the dig, including an extremely rare wooden bowl and a stone tablet.
    Mark Allen of Preconstruct Archaeology believes the items probably date from 800 to 1,000 BCE. He said "We have uncovered a wooden bowl that is as thin as glass and beautifully made. We also found a small stone tablet with circles that is mould for smelting metal. The tin or gold would be used to make rivets for decorative purposes - possibly on knife handles. We have known about the site since the 1970s - when the pumping station was built. Workmen called in the museum when they found bones and the researchers found late Bronze Age to early Iron Age pottery."
    Environment Agency consultant Peter Senior said: "The level of preservation of timber is absolutely amazing. We are led to believe that this is a site of European importance."

Source: BBC (19 January 2005)