Prehistoric pottery and Roman remains are among a number of rare finds uncovered at an archaeological dig taking place on Suffolk's coast.
Up to 100 archaeologists are combing fields where a new high-quality wetland habitat for important wildlife is going to be created as part of the Sizewell C nuclear power station project.
Among the finds, the team has found a Roman saltern (for early salt production), prehistoric pottery, and the remains of a previously unknown medieval building.
The carefully curated work is taking place ahead of establishing the marsh harrier wetland habitat that is going to transform the greenfield site to the north of where Sizewell C will be built.
The excavation is being undertaken by joint venture partners Cotswold Archaeology and Oxford Archaeology and will be monitored by Suffolk County Council Archaeology Service (SCCAS), which will ultimately store the finds in the county archives.
The Sizewell C environment team will create and maintain the 11-acre new wetland habitat, a mosaic of wet reedbed with 20-30% open water and 1km of lowland ditches, fed by groundwater similar to the successful Aldhurst farm project created in 2015.
It will support a wide range of wildlife, as Aldhurst does, including water vole, otter and Marsh Harriers.
Dean Clarke, Sizewell C project manager responsible for the work, said: “We are delighted that our archaeologists have uncovered some special finds and, once work is complete, we plan to share as many as possible for the community to see. The medieval building was a great find, we suspect it was once a farming building and will work with the county archaeological services to understand more about its history.”
Cotswold Archaeology Project Manager, Rhiannon Gardiner, said "Working on this significant project, so close to our office in Suffolk, is providing a fantastic opportunity to understand ever more of the county's rich and fascinating history.
"Having already uncovered such a variety of archaeology here is very promising, and we're looking forward not only to excavating more, but to getting out into the local community and sharing our findings with the public."
Around 150,000 cubic metres of earth will be moved by a workforce of 30 to help create the habitat and a bridleway will be moved temporarily.
The environmental work is amongst the first phase of works required in preparation for construction of Sizewell C.
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