2,800-year-old ‘recycling bin’ discovered in ruins of ‘Britain’s Pompeii,’ photos show
Thousands of years before the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” was coined, the inhabitants of a small settlement in Britain were already repurposing their waste, according to a new discovery.
A large wooden bucket that functioned as a “recycling bin” was found in the remains of a village inhabited around 850 B.C.
The village, known as Must Farm, is in Whittlesey, a town about 90 miles north of London. It’s been under a multiyear excavation since its discovery in 2015-16, according to a March 20 news release from the University of Cambridge.
The bucket contained multiple damaged objects made from bronze as well as used ax heads, researchers said.
These objects would have been stored with the intention of smelting them down to be repurposed into new equipment.
The finding “provides a vivid sense of a matter-of-fact, quotidian and practical approach to bronze as a material,” researchers wrote in a report.
It also suggests the early inhabitants of Britain were “not very different to us,” archaeologist Chris Wakefield told BBC News.
‘Britain’s Pompeii’
The village was composed of several circular, wooden structures on stilts in a river, researchers said.
Dubbed “Britain’s Pompeii,” it was destroyed in a “catastrophic” fire less than a year after it was built. The blaze sent the wooden buildings to the riverbed below.
“The combination of charring and waterlogging led to exceptional preservation,” researchers said.
The archaeological excavation of the site has revealed the river-dwelling village inhabitants had “surprisingly comfortable lifestyles.”
They dined on glazed venison, wore clothes of fine linen, and lived in homes that had layouts akin to modern houses, researchers said.
Among the other artifacts found at the site were beads that originated from far-flung locations, like Denmark and Iran. A smooth human skull was also discovered — possibly a reminder of a deceased loved one — in addition to various metal tools.
This story was originally published April 2, 2024 at 3:00 PM with the headline "2,800-year-old ‘recycling bin’ discovered in ruins of ‘Britain’s Pompeii,’ photos show."