An eight-year-old in Letchworth (Hertfordshire, England) digging during playtime at the town's St Christopher School came across the 4.5cm arrowhead just below the surface of a mound of soil dug up during the building of an extension at the school. After showing it to his teacher, the Year 4 pupil had his arrowhead examined by two archaeologists the following day, who believe the artefact could be more than 4,000 years old.
     James, who has aspirations to become an archaeologist, said: "It was really exciting. It's the most interesting thing I've ever found." North Hertfordshire archaeologist Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews, who assessed James' find, added: "It looks like something from the early Bronze Age. It's the style, it's a barbed and tanged arrowhead and they were specifically designed during the Bell-Beaker culture which spread throughout Western Europe (between 2400 BCE and 1800 BCE). It could've been used for hunting or warfare although it's impossible to be sure."
     Mr Fitzpatrick-Matthews, who was joined by his assistant Sian O'Neill to assess the arrowhead, also said that a 'very similar' find was made in the nearby village of Norton in 2008.

Edited from The Comet 24 (12 July 2011)