'Exciting' Bronze Age cremation site is unearthed near Stonehenge...by a BADGER: Human remains and 4,000-year-old artefacts found near the animal's sett

  • A badger dug up an urn from burial mound on Netheravon Down, Wiltshire
  • Archaeologists then conducted an excavation of the 4,000-year-old site 
  • Cremated human remains and tools dating back to 2,200BC were found
  • Wrist guards and tools suggest the grave may have belonged to an archer

The Stonehenge site has been scoured by archaeologists for decades as they attempt to learn more about the history of the land around Britain's famous ancient monument.

But the latest discovery at the site has been excavated by a rather unlikely source - a badger.

A Bronze Age cremation site was found after badgers dug into an ancient burial mound on land belonging to the Ministry of Defence at Netheravon in Wiltshire.

Archaeologists have unearthed Bronze Age tools, including a metal saw (pictured), dating back more than 4,000 years in an ancient cremation site just five miles (8km) from Stonehenge. The site was discovered after badgers dug up an urn from a burial mound

Archaeologists have unearthed Bronze Age tools, including a metal saw (pictured), dating back more than 4,000 years in an ancient cremation site just five miles (8km) from Stonehenge. The site was discovered after badgers dug up an urn from a burial mound

Artefacts including Bronze Age tools, a flint knife, pottery and an archer's wrist guard, dating back to between 2,200BC and 2,000BC, were discovered alongside cremated human remains at a site that sits just 5 miles (8km) from the monument.

Archaeologists spotted the site after a badger unearthed a cremation urn and left shards of pottery lying on the ground around the burial mound.

Richard Osgood, senior archaeologist at the MoD's Defence Infrastructure Organisation, led an excavation of the site and described it as an 'exciting find'.

Experts have said the discovery may be of similar significance to the famous Amesbury Archer, which was found in 2002. 

Among the artefacts found alongside the cremated human remains were a stone wrist guard (left) and arrow shaft straightner. It suggests the site may have been the burial mound for a Bronze Age archer

Among the artefacts found alongside the cremated human remains were a stone wrist guard (left) and arrow shaft straightner. It suggests the site may have been the burial mound for a Bronze Age archer

The site was first discovered after fragments of pottery from an urn (pictured) were brought to the surface by a tunneling badger that was digging into the burial mound near Netheravon in Wiltshire

The site was first discovered after fragments of pottery from an urn (pictured) were brought to the surface by a tunneling badger that was digging into the burial mound near Netheravon in Wiltshire

WHO DID THE REMAINS BELONG TO?

Artefacts including Bronze Age tools, pottery and an archer's wrist guard were discovered alongside cremated human remains.

It is unclear who the burial mound and the cremated remains belonged too, but the presence of the tools suggest they may have been an archer or someone who made bows.

A copper chisel with a decorated bone handle was also discovered, suggesting the site holds the remains of a manual worker. 

During the Bronze Age, cremation became the preferred burial practice rather than burying the dead in graves. 

The items found near the urn will now be used to try to provide clues as to their owner. 

However, it is unclear who the burial mound and the cremated remains belonged too, but the presence of the tools suggest they may have been an archer or someone who made bows. 

'It was utterly unexpected,' Mr Osgood said. 'These are wonderful artefacts from the early Bronze Age, about 2,200-2,000 BC.

'There are badger setts in quite a few scheduled monuments - the actions of burrowing animals is one of the biggest risks to archaeology in Britain - but to bring out items of this quality from one hole is unusual.

'We would never have known these objects were in there, so there's a small part of me that is quite pleased the badger did this...but it probably would have been better that these things had stayed within the monument where they'd resided for 4,000 years.'

During the Bronze Age, cremation became the preferred burial practice rather than burying the dead in graves. 

However, the items found alongside the urn will now be studied to try to provide clues as to who they were.

The cremation site was found close to Netheravon, which is five miles (8km) north of Stonehenge (illustrated). The archaeologists said there are badger setts in quite a few scheduled monuments 'but to bring out items of this quality from one hole is unusual'

The cremation site was found close to Netheravon, which is five miles (8km) north of Stonehenge (illustrated). The archaeologists said there are badger setts in quite a few scheduled monuments 'but to bring out items of this quality from one hole is unusual'

The tools found at the site (like this knife) suggest the cremated remains belonged to a Bronze Age archer or someone who made bows and arrows at the time

The tools found at the site (like this knife) suggest the cremated remains belonged to a Bronze Age archer or someone who made bows and arrows at the time

Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Osgood said: 'The artefacts tell us that those who put the individuals cremated remains into the urn believed them to have been of some significance. 

'These are fine items and there are a lot of them. The flint knife is exquisite. 

'Although highly speculative, it is just so tempting to view these as possibly the grave goods as someone connected with manufacturing archery equipment. 

'At this point in the Early Bronze Age, some 4000 plus years ago, the trappings of archery were important within the burial assemblage although this ,ore frequently includes arrowheads. 

'To get all these items together is very unusual indeed. Another tantalising element is that, in life, the person whose cremated remains we found would have probably known what many of the secrets of nearby Stonehenge were.' 

A copper chisel (pictured) with a decorated bone handle was discovered at the burial site during the excavation by injured military personnel and veterans working as part of Operation Nightingale

A copper chisel (pictured) with a decorated bone handle was discovered at the burial site during the excavation by injured military personnel and veterans working as part of Operation Nightingale

The site of the burial mound at Netheravon Down (pictured) is owned by the Ministry of Defence. The site was excavated as part of a project involving injured military personnel and veterans

The site of the burial mound at Netheravon Down (pictured) is owned by the Ministry of Defence. The site was excavated as part of a project involving injured military personnel and veterans

The site was excavated as part of a project involving injured military personnel and veterans.

The team, which work as part of Operation Nightingale, has previously helped to uncover the remains of a sixth-century Anglo-Saxon female and the remains of a male Anglo-Saxon warrior who was buried with a bronze shield.

The project is being used to help aid the rehabilitation of military personnel injured in Afghanistan.

Alongside the cremated human remains and urn found at the site on Netheravon Downs, the team found a copper chisel, a bronze saw and tools for straightening arrows.

The items will go on display at Wiltshire Museum in Devizes later this year.

Experts at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre examined the objects. 

They said in a blog: 'Deciding to make its home in a convenient mound, the badger inadvertently unearthed finds of a similar style and importance to those found with the nearby Amesbury Archer.

'The owner of these objects was probably an archer as the finds included a wrist guard used for protection when firing a bow and stone tools used for straightening arrow shafts.'

The pottery brought to the surface by the badger (pictured) is thought to have been part of a cremation urn

The pottery brought to the surface by the badger (pictured) is thought to have been part of a cremation urn

The tools (pictured) and pottery unearthed at the site in Netheravon will go on display at Wiltshire Museum

The tools (pictured) and pottery unearthed at the site in Netheravon will go on display at Wiltshire Museum

OTHER ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURES UNEARTHED BY BADGERS

Depending on your point of view, badgers are either a proud and treasured part of the countryside or a pest that spreads disease.

Badgers dig into soft earth of burial mounds as they excavate their setts, which had led to a number of archaeological discoveries (stock image pictured)

Badgers dig into soft earth of burial mounds as they excavate their setts, which had led to a number of archaeological discoveries (stock image pictured)

Regardless, their natural tendency to seek out soft ground to dig into as they create their setts has helped them unearth a wide range of archaeological treasures over the years.

These include an early sixth century Anglo Saxon burial mound on Salisbury Plain known as Barrow Clump.

As the creatures burrowed their way into the mound, they began to unearth the remains left by the ancient community at the site.

Archaeologists with Operation Nightingale later unearthed the remains of Anglo-Saxon warriors on the sites, including a teenage male buried alongside a drinking vessel.

Badgers had also excavated a tunnel alongside the impressive grave of an elderly warrior buried with his spear, long sword and a shield.

In 2013, tunnelling badgers also uncovered the skeletons of two Slavish noble warriors dating to the 12th Century in Brandenburg, Germany.

The pair were found with a double edged sword, a bowl and snake-shaped belt buckles.