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Ancient wooden spade discovery digs up clues about the Bronze Age
Image source, Wessex Archaeology/PA
An extremely rare 3,500-year-old wooden spade has been found by archaeologists in Poole Harbour.
It's one of the oldest, most complete wooden spades to have been discovered in the UK, and is believed to date back to the Bronze Age.
Wessex Archaeology says it's very unusual for wood to survive for so long, and it provides evidence of the how the Bronze Age people used the landscape through the seasons.
It was found during work to create coastal habitats in the area in response to climate change.
How was the wooden spade found?
Image source, Wessex Archaeology/PA Wire
This ace of spades was discovered in an area of land that had been dug up, called a ditch. It was in the shape of a circle, which archaeologists think was made by Bronze Age people to keep things dry from flooding.
Archeologist Phil Trim said: "It's a really unique object, to find something that's wooden of that age."
The team thought it could be a tree root at first and Phil described it as "a really exciting moment" when they saw what it was.
Only one other Bronze Age wooden tool has been discovered in the UK, the team said.
Phil explained that the environment was very wet in the area, even in the Bronze Age, and it was unlikely anyone was living there full time.
It's thought people would visit in the summer months, maybe to take materials like peat, which was a fuel source, or reeds and thatch which they'd use for things like building their homes, boats and making arrows.
How was the wooden spade preserved for thousands of years?
Image source, Heritage Images/Getty Images
Ed Treasure, from Wessex Archaeology, said the tool had been preserved due to the watery conditions.
As the spade remained wet and underground, it didn't have access to oxygen, which wood rotting fungus need.
But the ancient spade was still very fragile, and the team needed get it out in one piece, so it could be conserved and a 3D model could be made.
Wessex Archaeology said the ancient discovery now needs more work to freeze dry it. This is when a chemical is added to prevent the spade from shrinking when the water is taken out, so it can be stored. Talk about digging up the past!