Remarkable photo of ancient cemetery is revealed

Every year the government body that cares for England’s historic environment discovers and photographs sites across England from a light aircraft.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: “Our aerial archaeologists continue to transform our knowledge of England’s past from traces visible from the air. We identify and record the archaeology in our landscapes from cropmarks and soil marks this way.

“This not only supports archaeological research, but also gives us a better understanding of which parts of the land can be developed and which parts need further investigation because of what lies beneath.”

Historic Englands says that “The Fittleworth photograph, taken in 2015, depicts the cropmarks of five, possibly six, circular buried ditches, which would have once surrounded the mounds of Bronze Age barrows close to the river Rother. “Barrows were mainly burial places but were also used by the living for carrying out ceremonies.

“The mounds of barrows will be familiar to many people when walking along the South Down Way in this part of West Sussex.

“Along the River Rother archaeologists have discovered many more burial mounds hidden away in the woods and commons, but it was extremely unusual for Historic England to discover any cropmarks on these sandy soils.”

Co-ordinated by the Council for British Archaeology, the Festival of Archaeology offers hundreds of events nationwide, organised by museums, heritage organisations, national and country parks, universities, local societies, and community archaeologists.

The 26th Festival has been taking place since July 16 and ends on Sunday.

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