Fire In The Fens

A short-lived settlement provides an unparalleled view of bronze age life in eastern england.

- Jason Urbanus

Some 3,000 years ago, throughout Britain, broad changes in settlement patterns, society, and technology were slowly bringing an end to what archaeologists call the British Bronze Age (2500–800 b.c.). In the coming centuries, the Iron Age would emerge. But in the wetlands of East Anglia, referred to as the Fenland, a transformation of another sort, both more conspicuous and tangible, was taking place. Climate change was gradually causing water levels to rise, and, as marshland increased, vital dry land became scarcer. The solution for one small settlement was to build its homes on pylons directly above the water. However, by some twist of fate, shortly after the new settlement was built, it was destroyed by fire—whether deliberate or accidental is not known. The conflagration caused the houses and their contents to collapse into the shallow river below. There, extraordinary circumstances led to their preservation and eventual discovery. Recent excavations of this Late Bronze Age village are providing archaeologists with as yet unmatched insights into the lifestyle and day-to-day lives of Britons three millennia ago. It is considered one of the most important discoveries in the history of British archaeology.

The site, called Must Farm, is named after and located in a modern-day clay quarry outside the town of Peterborough.Until now, much of what is known about Bronze Age Britain has stemmed from investigations of specialized sites such as burial mounds, megalithic monuments, or ritual deposits of bronze weapons. While these types of finds have value, they offer archaeologists little information about ordinary people and everyday life. Even when Bronze Age houses and settlements have been identified, they have yielded scant material evidence.