Stone chest on Whitehorse Hill
The 2011 excavation of a Bronze Age stone box on Whitehorse Hill north of Postbridge produced finds that demonstrate an early relationship between Dartmoor in Devon , England and the continent. In the unopened stone box made of granite in the peat bog, organic remains and around 150 pearls were found. The stone box measures around 1.5 × 0.75 m and dates back to 1900 to 1500 BC. To be dated.
The finds give an insight into life on the moor. The researchers found cremated human bones from a 15 to 25 year old person, jewelry and textiles wrapped in fur. Tin finds indicated that the Dartmoor people were mining this metal earlier than previously thought. The artifacts from shale and amber are materials that are not native to the UK and show relationships in the region to the continent. The box contained a leather cord with tassels and the earliest examples of turned woodworking that could be stud earrings.
This was the first excavation of a stone chest on Dartmoor in 100 years and it is considered to be the most important collection of prehistoric burial objects in the area. The box was discovered 10 years earlier and the archaeologists hoped that an unopened stone box would provide important clues about the environment of bygone times. The stone box is particularly unusual because of its location in the peat and its separation from other prehistoric excavation sites. The burial location at 600 meters above sea level in the north moor is beginning to fill in the gaps that currently exist as there is very little evidence of prehistoric activity in this area.
See also
Web links
- Description Engl. and pictures
- Description Engl. and pictures
- The Kist at Whitehorse Hill , Dartmoor Preservation Association
Coordinates: 50 ° 39 ′ 8.8 ″ N , 3 ° 57 ′ 26.8 ″ W.