a Bronze Age coffin found in Britain | Contains the remains of a man and an ax

a strange bronze age coffin, with the remains of a man inside, was found by chance by a group of workers doing maintenance work in a pond in the Tetney Golf Club, near the town of Grimsby, Great Britain.

After the discovery, the owner of the premises contacted the archaeologists of the Historic England, the public body responsible for protecting British heritage.

Specialists discovered that it was a 4000-year-old coffin, made with a trunk, which measures about three meters long by one wide.

Inside were the remains of a man who had been buried with an ax, an element which according to archaeologists was more a symbol of authority than a practical tool.

To date, only 12 axes have been found in Britain dating from this period in history.

Experts have established that those who made the coffin did so by hollowing out the trunk of an oak tree and placing various plants to protect the body.

Discovery

“Fortunately, when the coffin was found, I was working with a team of professionals and students from the university’s archeology department on a nearby excavation,” said Hugh Wilmott, senior lecturer in European historical archeology at the University of Sheffield.

“It was a brilliant learning experience for our students to see what can be accomplished in such a short time. And I am very happy that we were able to help ”, Wilmott assured.

The coffin, one of 65 found across Britain, has been transferred to the York Archaeological Trust educational charity, where its restoration will be completed.

“We plan to restore the ax within 12 months, but the coffin, due to its size, will take at least two years to be fully restored.”Said Ian Panter, head of conservation at the institution, who assured that his team already had previous experience in this type of discovery.

Once this work is completed, the coffin It will be transferred to the Collection Museum in Lincoln. “The conservation of the ax and the handle, as well as the antlers of the coffin, is astonishing. We look forward to sharing the story of the discovery and the results of the scientific analysis with researchers and museum visitors, ”said Lindsey Cawrey, Lincolnshire County Councilor for Culture.

Mark Casswell, the owner of the golf club where the discovery took place, also expressed his amazement. “I never imagined there was a whole world buried under the field. It’s amazing how well preserved the ax is, with its handle still there, as if it had been made yesterday. We will have a nice photo of the ax on the wall of the club house, ”he said.