Archaeologists have uncovered a rare and exceptionally well-preserved 3,500-year-old wooden spade during the ongoing Moors at Arne project in Dorset, England. This Middle Bronze Age artifact is one of the oldest and most complete wooden tools ever found in the UK.

Archaeologists uncovered a 3,000-year-old wooden spade in Dorset. Credit: WesSєx Archaeology

The spade was found in the waterlogged grounds of Poole Harbour, an area currently being transformed into a 150-hectare wetland habitat to combat the effects of climate change. The Moors at Arne project, led by the Environment Agency in collaboration with the RSPB, Natural England, and contractor Kier, aims to restore habitats lost to rising sea levels. This “coastal squeeze,” where rising waters meet flood defenses, has resulted in the loss of crucial intertidal zones like salt marshes and mudflats.

The discovery of the spade was led by WesSєx Archaeology, whose team has been excavating the site as part of the habitat restoration efforts. The tool is carved from a single piece of oak and is believed to have been used by Bronze Age communities for tasks such as cutting peat or other natural resources. Its survival is owed to the site’s unique waterlogged conditions, which prevented the wood from decaying over millennia.

“It’s incredibly rare for organic materials like wood to survive for so long, but the waterlogged conditions here have preserved this tool remarkably well,” said Ed Treasure, an environmental archaeologist with WesSєx Archaeology, who is leading the analysis of the spade. He added, “Radiocarbon dating confirms the spade is approximately 3,500 years old, placing it firmly in the Middle Bronze Age.”

The spade was found in a circular ditch, which archaeologists believe may have been dug by Bronze Age people to keep items dry from flooding. Credit: WesSєx Archaeology

The significance of this discovery is profound, as organic tools from prehistoric times rarely survive due to the degradation of materials over time. Only one other Bronze Age wooden tool has been found in the UK—the Brynlow Shovel, discovered in Cheshire in 1875.

The moment of discovery was a defining one for the archaeological team. Phil Trim, who led the recovery of the spade, described the initial skepticism when they unearthed what appeared to be a tree root. “It was indescribable when we realized it was actually a tool, almost complete,” Trim said. “It’s a really unique object, to find something wooden of that age. It was an exciting moment.”

The spade was found in a circular ditch, which archaeologists believe may have been dug by Bronze Age people to keep items dry from flooding. The ditch’s location suggests that the site may have been used seasonally by these communities for resource gathering rather than as a permanent settlement. Greg Chuter, an archaeologist with the Environment Agency, said, “We’re working across a vast landscape dominated by nature, and beneath the surface, we’ve uncovered evidence of how humans adapted to this environment over 3,000 years ago.”

Experts are now focusing on conserving the spade to ensure its long-term preservation. The process includes freeze-drying and treating the wood with a water-soluble polymer to prevent it from shrinking when the water is extracted.

Matt Phillips, Senior Project Manager for Kier, emphasized the relevance of these findings in today’s context. “The archaeological story of The Moors at Arne gives us an incredible understanding of how people adapted to change thousands of years ago. This insight is invaluable as we face our own climate challenges today,” he said.

More information: WesSєx Archaeology