Bronze Age burial site unearthed

The child's remains are to be analysed and archived

A Bronze Age burial site has been unearthed by archaeologists working at a quarry in Cambridgeshire.

The find was made at Pode Hole Quarry, in Thorney, near Peterborough, where a child's skeleton has been uncovered.

Teams had already discovered the 3,500-year-old remains of a man at the quarry, in July.

Archaeologist Andy Richmond said the find was significant as it helped to piece together the history of life on the edge of the Fens.

'Human face'

Phoenix Consulting Archaeology Ltd have been excavating the quarry, owned by Bardon Aggregates, over the last eight years.

Over that time archaeologists have been uncovering a bronze age settlement and agricultural artefacts, but these discoveries are the first direct human link, Dr Richmond told BBC News.

"All evidence is important, but this allowed us to put a human face to the past," Dr Richmond said.

"We know a lot about the economy and now we've found a part of the jigsaw we hadn't had, can see something of the people of the area."

The child's remains were found resting on a bark mat, with a perforated shell, believed to be an item of jewellery. They will be preserved in an archaeological archive.

The find is to be analysed to determine the age, sex, diet and any diseases the child might have had.