Iron Age Beer Found On A14
31 January 2019, 06:00 | Updated: 31 January 2019, 06:09
A team working on a project to widen the A14 at Huntingdon, have found evidence of the first beer ever brewed in the UK.
It's all part of Highways England's £1.5 billion upgrade of the A14 in Cambridgeshire.
The tell-tale signs of the Iron Age brew, potentially from as far back as 400 BC, were uncovered in tiny fragments of charred residues from the beer making process from earth excavated with other archaeological finds.
Further finds show the locals also had a taste for porridge and bread as well as beer.
The discoveries are the latest on the road project where previous finds include woolly mammoths, abandoned villages, and burials.
Dr Steve Sherlock, Highways England archaeology lead for the A14, said:
"The work we are doing on the A14 continues to unearth incredible discoveries that are helping to shape our understanding of how life in Cambridgeshire, and beyond, has developed through history.
"It's a well-known fact that ancient populations used the beer making process to purify water and create a safe source of hydration, but this is potentially the earliest physical evidence of that process taking place in the UK.
This is all part of the work we are doing to respect the areas cultural heritage while we deliver our vital upgrade for the A14."
A team of up to 250 archaeologists led by experts from MOLA Headland Infrastructure has been working on the project, investigating 33 sites across 360 hectares.
MOLA Headland archaeobotanist, Lara Gonzalez came across the latest fascinating evidence.
