Bronze Age child found at school
The rare remains of a Bronze age child have been unearthed at Culford School, near Bury St Edmunds.
Archaeologists, who were commissioned by the school to excavate the site where a 600,000 indoor tennis centre is to be built, made the discovery on Tuesday after finding human teeth and excavating further.
Pieces of skull, teeth and bones belonging to a child of about seven or eight were found.
An earthenware pot, from the area and identifiable by a chevron design and worked pieces of flint, which may have been left as an offering for the afterlife, were also found.
It is thought the child may have been the son or daughter of a tribal leader, as the remains were in isolation and could signify a status within the settlement group.
A human skull, possibly dating to the Iron Age, countless pieces of pottery and animal bones as well as a Roman coin dating to the late first or early second century have also been found at the site, which used to house the walled gardens of Culford Hall before it became a school.
Pupils have had the opportunity to visit the site and help with the excavation, including Joe Dodd, 14, who is particularly interested in archaeology.
The artefacts have now been transferred to Suffolk County Council's finds department at Shire Hall, in Bury, to be examined by archaeologists.
Robert Atfield, project officer, said: "This is a rare find, not only the burial site with the child's skull but also the full skull, pottery and animal bones all found in one small area which will be difficult to interpret.
"The remains will be closely observed and hopefully we can determine the age of the finds including the sex of the skull remains."
Belinda McCrea, deputy head of Culford School, said: "It is extremely interesting for our pupils and some of them have been able to visit the excavation site and take a look at the work archaeologists have been doing.
"It is quite a moving thought that around 1500BC there was a community living here with children and today in 2007 we have a school on the site."
Work on the indoor tennis centre, which is being built in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, will begin early next year.
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Thursday 24 May 2012
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Temperature: 12 C to 25 C
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