Newsweek reported on Monday that a trove of 19,000 artifacts, dating as far back as the Mesolithic period, has been discovered in the United Kingdom. The artifacts were found at a residential development project at Calthorpe Gardens, located near the historic market town of Banbury in southern England. The contractor overseeing the development, Orbit Homes, announced this significant find in a press release.

Among the discoveries are Mesolithic flint tools dating from 10,000 BCE to 4,000 BCE, making them some of the oldest artifacts uncovered at the site. Additionally, remains of a small settlement from the Late Bronze Age or the Middle to Late Iron Age were unearthed, along with an Anglo-Saxon cemetery from the early Medieval period. The cemetery has revealed the remains of 52 individuals, alongside various items such as beaded necklaces, pendants, and weapons. Notably, a gold pendant featuring an intertwined serpent design was also among the finds.

BA field archaeologist Hayley Parsons described the site as “once-in-a-decade” with “once-in-a-lifetime kinds of finds,” emphasizing the incredible nature of the discoveries. The site’s potential to showcase human habitation over an extensive period has excited experts, highlighting the diverse activities and communities that existed there across millennia.

Orbit Homes expressed gratitude for the remarkable finds at Calthorpe Gardens, emphasizing the site’s richness and the historical insights it offers into the region’s past.