Remarkably, the circular wooden houses collapsed into the muddy river beneath, where they were preserved – hence comparisons with Pompei.
The Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery exhibition, Introducing Must Farm, a Bronze Age Settlement, is made up of pottery, textiles, tools, weapons, beads from the Middle East and more, all painstakingly recovered from the site at Whittlesey.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s public opening of the exhibition, David Gibson, Archaeological Manager at Cambridge Archaeological Unit, spoke of the time and effort that had gone into the project.
He said: “This farm was a settlement that only lasted 9 to 12 months whereas the excavation, analysis and publication has taken the best part of 10 years.
“The settlement in 850BC was a small, local community, perhaps 25-40 people, whereas the work of understanding their lives and the landscape has required the input of 170 dedicated archaeologists and researchers from all sections of the discipline and beyond.
“This is regional archaeology but on the international stage, with the excavation team staffed by individuals from 16 different countries and the publication from contributors from over 30 leading organisations and institutions from across Europe, the UK, the Americas and Far East.
“The time, input and expertise needed to do this project is testimony to richness of the archaeology, the wealth of information gleaned from this site and the support which has underpinned this endeavour from start to finish.”
The exhibition is open until September.
1. Must Farm exhibition
Must Farm exhibition at Peterborough Museum. Sarah Wilson, heritage manager from the Museum Photo: David Lowndes
