Long-lost ancient village with mysterious past unearthed amid wind farm dig: 'Exciting discovery'

On Dec. 9, Wessex Archaeology announced its team had discovered a previously unknown Anglo-Saxon settlement near Friston, a modern village in East Suffolk, England.  

The digs were carried out in conjunction with the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA). The Anglo-Saxon settlement was a "small community living in wooden longhouses," according to officials. 

"Although the wooden buildings have long rotted away, the remains of post holes show they were substantial structures, up to 19 meters [62 feet] long by 6 meters [20 feet] wide."

Some of the finds date before the Anglo-Saxons, including an arrowhead made between 4,000 and 6,000 years ago.

The excavation was carried out ahead of the development of East Anglia TWO and ONE North Projects, an offshore wind farm being built by ScottishPower Renewables, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

Matthew Ginnever, senior project manager at MOLA-Wessex Archaeology, said the most interesting finds included medieval kilns and fragile, ancient flints that include arrowheads and an axe head.

The settlement was abandoned in the 1300s, though the cause is still unknown, the expert said.

"Excavations have been taking place at key points where there are onshore development areas, [like] substations," said Ginnever.

"Our team will be exploring this during the post-excavation analysis phase of [the] work, and we hope to share more in the future."

Researchers are slated to share more findings in a webinar on Jan. 23.

The latest discovery isn't the first time that modern construction projects have yielded historical treasures in Europe.