Dig finds 8,000-year-old shelter

Part of a Bronze Age village was found in an earlier dig

A shelter used by settlers in the Isle of Man about 8,000 years ago has been unearthed during an archaeological dig at the island's airport.

Experts say the foundations are a "major discovery" and include a shelter filled with flint, charred remains of wood and hundreds of hazelnut shells.

It is estimated that it dates back to the end of the Ice Age.

More studies of the area are being carried out to enable archaeologists to pinpoint the age of the find.

It is by far the largest archaeological project to have been undertaken on the island Andrew Johnson Manx National Heritage

Andrew Johnson, Manx National Heritage Field Archaeologist, said: "Archaeologists hesitate to call a structure of this kind a "house", because the received wisdom is that 8,000 years ago people constantly moved through the landscape as nomads, gathering their food from the land, rather than staying put and farming and harvesting it.

"But this building was constructed from substantial pieces of timber, and had a hearth for cooking and warmth.

"Its occupants lived here often, or long enough to leave behind over 12,000 pieces of worked flint together with the tools needed to flake them, and food debris in the form of hundreds of hazelnut shells."

Village found

Excavations at the site have been triggered by planning conditions attached to the airport's runway project.

Current archaeological works originally began in May 2008, with finds including a 3,000-year-old Bronze Age village, three burials and numerous artefacts, including thousands of pieces of pottery and worked flint.

Mr Johnson said: "This has been a major achievement for all concerned.

"It is by far the largest archaeological project to have been undertaken on the island, and has taken place under difficult practical circumstances requiring great efficiency and speed."