The A75 Dunragit bypass project in Scotland has “plunged straight into the past” with a series of shocking archaeological treasures dug up from countless villages, settlements, and ancient stone, bronze and iron age tombs.
The unit responsible for the excavation, GUARD Archaelology, has published online the archaeological findings achieved through the excavation of the road. Those are tens of thousands of artifacts from the Neolithic, Iron, Bronze Age… Since the start of construction on A75 Dunragit, wherever they dug, artifacts and ancient villages… were revealed. Archaeologists have participated in the project from the beginning because the area around the previous construction site has yielded many valuable discoveries.
The construction of a highway bypass became a spectacular archaeological excavation – Photo: GUARD ARCHAEOLOGY
This £17 million road dig could reveal an even bigger archaeological treasure trove. Speaking to Transport Scotland, Mr. Warren Bailie, Operations Director of GUARD Archeology, revealed many archaeological sites along the route of national significance and great historical significance.
An ancient relic appears on the land – Photo: GUARD ARCHAEOLOGY
The oldest artifacts are up to 9,000 years old, recovered from a large Neolithic settlement. 13,500 flint stones honed into tools have helped reveal a memorable part of Mesolithic history (about 9,000-4,500 years BC), when humanity emerged from the last ice age and was also a time when the Massive primitive settlements sprang up across Scotland.
According to Ancient Origins, the most prized artifacts are necklaces made from 130 pieces of black fossilized wood, dating back 4,000 years. This jewelry material was very popular in the 19th century in England, but such an ancient necklace, exquisitely crafted with this material, is truly shocking. It may mark a new culture, when people here moved from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, developing sophisticated jewelry and tool making techniques.
One of the fossilized wood necklaces – Photo: GUARD ARCHAEOLOGY
Mr Bailie told the BBC that publishing the entire find through an online “museum” would give people the opportunity to access interesting parts of the country’s history. Road construction is still ongoing with careful survey steps. Authorities have not specifically announced how they will handle this huge archaeological treasure after the work is completed.
