Thames Water is coordinating with archaeology experts near Royal Wootton Bassett after ancient artefacts were found when they were replacing a water main.
Some of the amazing finds include Iron Age housing and flint tools, which may be 8,000 years old. But perhaps the most intriguing find is a paw print which has been left in iron smelt. The archaeologists are trying to work out whether the print is of a domesticated dog or that of a wild animal.
To make the most of the amazing finds children from a local school were invited down to the site to view the dig.
One of the archaeologists was quoted as saying:
“We’ve found evidence of a farming settlement from the Iron Age, showing us life here just before the Roman occupation of Britain 2,000 years ago.
“There are two circular houses with outlying pits and ditches that were often used to store grain.
“And even older than that, we’ve had some really interesting finds from the Mesolithic period where we’ve uncovered flint tools that are up to 8,000 years old. This is very exciting as it’s the first time anyone has ever found any evidence of Mesolithic man living in this area.”
One of the teachers at Ashton Keaton School said:
“It’s exciting to see what the village was like further back in time and to hear that people lived her 8,000 years ago.”
The London drainage company are replacing around 3km of the old main which has burst a number of times over the last decade.