Students and staff at the University of Sheffield archaeology department have been part of a team that discovered a 4000-year-old coffin in Lincolnshire.
The early bronze age coffin, three metres long and one metre wide, was discovered accidentally on a golf course and contained the remains of a man and axe thought to date back 4000 years ago.
The coffin was made by hollowing out a single, fast growing, oak tree, and the body inside cushioned by plants. A gravel mound was built on top of the grave, indicating the high status of the individual buried beneath.
Only 65 early Bronze age coffins are known from Britain as it is rare for the wood they are made out of to survive. Similarly, it is rare for the wooden shaft of the axe inside the coffin to survive, with only 12 such axes being known to survive in Britain. Initially a deep layer of silt aided the preservation of the coffin and its contents, however on exposure to the elements it was a race against time to uncover and preserve it to prevent its deterioration.
Dr Hugh Willmott of the University of Sheffield said: “Luckily when the burial was found, myself and a team of staff and students from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield were working on a nearby research and training excavation. This was a brilliant learning experience for our students to see what can be achieved at short notice and I’m so pleased we were able to help.”
Tim Allen, of Historic England, said: “After local authority and Portable Antiquities Scheme staff made an initial inspection, Sheffield University was able to attend. It was only thanks to them being able to assist that weekend that we were able to secure the coffin, axe and surviving human remains.
The coffin is now at York archaeological trust where recording and conservation work continues. Eventually the coffin and its contents will be moved to the Collection museum when the timber is preserved.
