LONDON – An early prehistoric hearth has been discovered on the planned construction site for a branch of major British supermarket chain Sainsbury.
The charcoal remains, excavated from the site in Nairn, a town in the Scottish Highlands, date to the Mesolithic period (10,000 to 4000 BC). They are believed to have been a temporary travelling stop rather than a settlement, due to the absence of any further Mesolithic findings.
Dating a site from the charcoal is problematic due the potential delay between the felling of the tree and the wood burning. – (Reuters)
