Bronze Age cremation urn burial found in Yorkshire quarry

"The five-week excavation uncovered a group of prehistoric features consisting of pits and two ditches that met in a T-shaped junction. One of the pits at the southern end of the group had fragments of cremated bones at the surface. Deeper in the pit archaeologists found a much larger, compacted deposit of cremated bones. Neolithic and Bronze Age people buried cremation remains in pits like this. Radiocarbon dating will clarify the period this burial dates to."

"An excavation at Breedon's Leyburn Quarry in North Yorkshire has uncovered a high-status Bronze Age cremation urn burial. It dates to between about 2000 and 1700 B.C. The limestone quarry is located in an area of the Yorkshire Dales known for Bronze Age remains. Metal hoards have been found there, as well as burials and traces of settlements. A team from Archaeological Research Services (ARS) was engaged to explore a previously unused part of the quarry."

"They were able to remove the entire vessel en bloc to the ARS research laboratory where it was excavated securely. They did indeed find cremation remains, but they also found an unexpected artifact: a stone axe hammer with a perforation in the center. It is about four inches long and was carved from volcanic rock that is not available locally and may have come from as far away as Scotland."

An excavation at Breedon's Leyburn Quarry in North Yorkshire revealed a high-status Bronze Age cremation burial dating to roughly 2000–1700 B.C. Excavators uncovered prehistoric features including pits and two ditches forming a T-shaped junction, with one pit containing a compacted deposit of cremated bone. A second burial held an upside-down collared urn about 16 inches high, removed en bloc and opened in the ARS laboratory to reveal cremated remains and a perforated stone axe hammer. The axe, roughly four inches long, was carved from non-local volcanic rock possibly from Scotland and shows expert workmanship, indicating trade connections and elevated social status. Radiocarbon dating will refine the burial's date.

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