A FIELD off Mont Cochon is providing clues to how Islanders lived more than 2,000 years ago.
Researchers working under the direction of the Société Jersiaise’s archaeologist Dr Hervé Duval-Gatignol have discovered a variety of objects, confirming that the field was once the location of a Second Iron Age farmstead.
“It is definitely a good site which is exactly what I was looking for, providing precious information about the heritage of the Island and how people lived. We have already found quite a lot of significant objects,” Dr Duval-Gatignol said.
The dig, which began this week with the excavation of topsoil using a mechanical digger, is now yielding vital information about the Islanders who occupied Jersey around the time of the Celtic coin hoards discovered in Grouville.
In addition to remnants of pottery from the period – probably from between the fourth and first centuries BCE – a clay spindle has been discovered which provides precious information about the kind of daily activity that once took place on the site, and a crucible giving clues about metal work. “We did not know of such a thing in the Island,” Dr Duval-Gatignol said.
The discovery of a quantity of limpet shells, the domestic waste of the time, also gives insights into the diet of these Islanders, while burned stones, possibly from a fireplace, suggest the proximity of a dwelling to the two trenches dug by the team.
Work is being undertaken by helpers including local volunteers and students from the UK and the University of Rennes. Activity at the site is expected to continue for the next two weeks.
Dr Duval-Gatignol added that the team will hold an open day at the site on the afternoon of Tuesday 20 August. Further details will appear on the Société Jersiaise website.
