A man walking his dog in Britain accidentally helped archaeologists and geologists make a surprising discovery on a local beach, authorities said.
The Northumberland Coast National Landscape Authority Blog Post As for the most recent discovery last week, a man walking his dog was on a walk in Foxton Bay in Northumberland, northeast England, when he came across an unusual hole close to the shore.
Authorities had thought the pit could be a grave dating back to the Bronze Age or Middle Ages, but excavations have led experts to change their minds.
“These pits are thought to be post-medieval or modern feeding and fish tanks rather than burial stones,” the blog post explains. “The main features of the tank are shale side and bottom panels and a thick clay lining. It is approximately one metre by half a metre in size, roughly oval in shape and missing the top panel.”
Millennium-old discovery a ‘complete surprise’ for experts
Authorities say a man walking his dog in Northumberland stumbled upon an interesting historic landmark. (Northumberland Coast National Landscape)
Northumberland Coast National Landscape spokesperson Helen Wilson-Beavers told Fox News Digital that one of the holes was discovered in 2013, but the remaining structures were unknown to authorities.
“Our current hypothesis is that they date to anywhere between the 17th and 20th centuries,” Wilson-Beavers explained.
Quarry workers make prehistoric discoveries just doing their jobs
Local historian Adrian Osler has been collecting information on historical fishing activity in the area and has found evidence of a local 19th century fishery, lending credence to the bait tank hypothesis.
A local historian has found evidence of a centuries-old fishing industry that may have involved bait tanks. (Northumberland Coast National Landscape)
“In the absence of direct evidence regarding the purpose or age of these structures, it is best to simplify and consider what are known historical activities along the coast, such as storing bait, keeping live fish, or preserving fishing lines and nets,” Osler said.
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“The main baits used in coastal longline fisheries were limpets and mussels, both of which were convenient for fishermen to store in the water in large quantities for short periods. For example, [storage] “There have also been reports from Creswell of holes cut into the bedrock,” he added.
The tank was cut into the shape of “beach rock,” a series of overlapping shells, which Wilson-Beavers told Fox News Digital are rare finds.
Geologists called the beach rock find “astonishing” and noted it likely occurs naturally in tropical or subtropical environments.
The hole was thought to be an ancient burial site until authorities determined it was an ancient fishing bait container. (Northumberland Coast National Landscape)
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“[The beachrock’s] “Its location suggests that it formed at a time when sea levels were higher than they are today,” geologist Ian Kill from Northumbrian University was quoted as saying. “Mean sea levels fluctuated during the post-glacial period, which may be the cause. This allows us to narrow down the date of the beach rock’s formation only to around 1,000-6,000 years ago.”
Officials are unsure whether the beach rock is natural or man-made, but the discovery provides insight into how coastal erosion has progressed over the years.
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“The beach rock could be man-made, it could have been a mix of sand and lime to stabilize a bait trap,” Wilson-Beavers said, “but the hypothesis we’re working with is that there is evidence in the beach rock that the high tide line here was once a little further inland than it is today, which is very intriguing.”
