In a groundbreaking find, archaeologists conducting an excavation under the United Kingdom’s Palace of Westminster have uncovered artifacts that predate Stonehenge, according to an announcement from UK authorities.
On November 19, an announcement from the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority revealed relics from the Mesolithic period to the 19th century. Flint chips from the Mesolithic era were among those discoveries.
Excavations had taken place over a three-year investigation focused on shaping upcoming restoration work planned at the Palace.
Also known as the Houses of Parliament, this location was initially used as a royal residence. The oldest structure surviving on the premises is Westminster Hall, built in 1097 for William II.
60 flint fragments dating back as far as 4300 BC, produced amid toolmaking, were found, predating Stonehenge, which began construction in 3100 BC.
'A glimpse into early human life'
"The flints were found in undisturbed sand deposits that once formed part of Thorney Island, an area where prehistoric communities are thought to have fished, hunted and gathered food," the Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority said in its announcement. "These rare finds offer a glimpse into early human life in what is now central London."
Among the finds were medieval leather shoe soles and a leather boot dating back 800 years, and 19th-century pottery and tobacco pipes. An inscribed 19th-century five-pint beer jug was found, as were fragments of a 2,000-year-old Roman altar and a heart-shaped lead badge dating back to the Middle Ages.
Archaeologists also uncovered the remains of Lesser Hall, another medieval building dating back to 1167, believed built as a royal dining space. Officials said that the space saw "key moments in Parliamentary history.”
"Over the centuries, it housed the Court of Chancery, the Court of Requests, and even the House of Commons and House of Lords at different times," the Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority said.
"This is the most significant discovery of the current archaeological investigations and provides vital insights into the layout and survival of historic structures beneath the modern Palace."
The hall’s stone wall and original foundation were preserved despite both the Fire of 1834 and a WW2 bomb strike.