In July 2019, construction workers renovating a pond at a golf course in Tetney, England, stumbled upon a rare Bronze Age sarcophagus.
The half-ton coffin was made from the hollowed-out trunk of an oak tree and contained human remains, an ax, and plants used as bedding for the deceased. The coffin measured around ten feet long and three feet wide and was buried beneath a gravel mound—a practice typically reserved for elite members of Bronze Age society.
The discovery is significant because it provides new insights into ancient burial practices and funerary customs. It also highlights how much more there is to learn about our past and how much more we can discover with careful study and exploration.
According to Mark Casswell, owner of Tetney Golf Club, the ax found in the coffin is “amazingly well-preserved” with its handle still intact like it was made yesterday. The wooden haft of the ax is perfectly preserved and one of only a handful to survive in Britain.
Wooden objects like shipwrecks and coffins are prone to rapid deterioration upon their removal from water or soil and exposure to sunlight and air. Luckily, researchers from the University of Sheffield were working nearby when the objects were discovered and offered to help with preservation efforts. To prevent the ax from deteriorating, archaeologist Adam Daubney placed the artifact in a bag filled with groundwater. The coffin was kept in cold storage for a year before being moved to York Archaeological Trust (YAT), where conservators began the arduous process of restoring it. To aid these efforts, Historic England awarded the project almost £70,000 (around $96,000).
The discovery of this tree trunk coffin provides new insights into ancient burial practices and funerary customs. It also highlights how much more there is to learn about our past and how much more we can discover with careful study and exploration.