Archaeology on the East Kent Access Road
Kent's big dig strikes gold
They lay buried unseen for 2,700 years, but now two beautiful
gold bracelets have been discovered on Kent’s big road dig.
Watch a video about the
finds or read our press
release. There is more information about the
bracelets on the
Archaeology of the East Kent Access road website.
Kent's big dig is now complete
Kent's biggest archaeological dig along the route of the new
East Kent Access road is complete. During the past year, the dig
has revealed how people were living on the Isle of Thanet from
earliest times. Among 10,000 finds were two gold Bronze Age
bracelets. Other remarkable discoveries included the remains of
prehistoric burial monuments, Iron Age enclosures and a village
which would have watched the Roman invasion, Saxon cemeteries,
tracks and the remains of a shellfish processing site.
Lots of you got involved
The archaeology of the East Kent Access Road has caught the
interest of hundreds of Kent residents. Have a look at the big dig that took place on 25 May 2010.
Background
The East Kent Access road will provide better
road connections between the Isle of Thanet, the national motorway
network, Kent International Airport, Canterbury and the European
gateways of Ramsgate, Dover and the Channel Tunnel with 8km of the
A256 and A299 upgraded to dual carriageway.
The new road crosses one of the richest
archaeological areas in Britain. Before it is built, archaeologists will
excavate along the whole length of the route. This will be the
largest excavation in Britain in 2010, covering approximately 40
hectares.
The archaeological work is being done by the
Oxford Wessex Archaeology joint venture on behalf of VolkerFitzpatrick
Hochtief who are
building the new road for Kent County Council.
The project is jointly funded by the
Department of Transport and Kent County Council and should be
complete in 2012. You can find out more on our East Kent Access Phase 2 page.