A 4,000-year-old red deer skull and antlers have been found on the same Welsh beach where an ancient forest was uncovered by storms two years ago.
The amazing find was made by two walkers who spotted the antlers lying in the sand on the beach at Borth, Ceredigion – an area already rich in archaeology.
The 4ft-wide antlers belonged to a giant stag which roamed the forest during the Bronze Age, and were laid bare by strong tides on the Cardigan Bay coastline.
The antlers are now being examined by an archaeological research team at the University of Wales Trinity St David's in Lampeter.
Research leader Dr Martin Bates said: 'This is a wonderful discovery that really brings the forest and its environs to light.
'The forest and peat deposits either side of this channel date to between about 6,000 and 4,000 years ago - the time of the last hunter-gatherers and the earliest farmers in Britain.'
Folklore has it that Cantre'r Gwaelod, or the Sunken Hundred, a once-fertile land and township, was lost beneath the waves in a mythical age.
The land is said to have extended 20 miles west of the present Cardigan Bay, but disaster struck and Cantre'r Gwaelod was lost to floods when Mererid, the priestess of a fairy well, apparently neglected her duties and allowed the well to overflow.
Archaeologists knew the 5,000-year-old forest existed on the beach at Borth
and stumps were sometimes visible along parts of it at low tide.
But the storms in early 2014 revealed a whole new section thought to include oak and pine near Ynyslas, further north than the previously seen remains. The stumps are preserved because of conditions in the peat.
Part of a wattle walkway, believed to date from ancient times, has also appeared. It is thought it was made from branches, sticks or logs and used for people to cross wet ground without sinking into it.
Deer skull and antlers which are 4,000 YEARS old are found by walkers on beach where storms uncovered ancient forest
4,000-year-old red deer skull and antlers were discovered by walkers on the beach at Borth, Ceredigion
Find was made on the same beach where an ancient forest from the Bronze Age was uncovered by storms in 2014
Shin-high stumps of oak and yew trees were exposed by strong tides which washed away the peat covering them
The 4ft-wide antlers, which are being examined by archaeologists, belonged to a giant stag which roamed the forest
By Kate Samuelson For Mailonline
29 April 2016
A 4,000-year-old red deer skull and antlers have been found on the same Welsh beach where an ancient forest was uncovered by storms two years ago.
The amazing find was made by two walkers who spotted the antlers lying in the sand on the beach at Borth, Ceredigion – an area already rich in archaeology.
The 4ft-wide antlers belonged to a giant stag which roamed the forest during the Bronze Age, and were laid bare by strong tides on the Cardigan Bay coastline.
A 4000-year-old red deer skull and antlers has been found on a Welsh beach where an ancient forest was uncovered during a storm two years ago
It is on the same shore where storms exposed the shin-high stumps of oak and yew trees in 2014, found when the peat which once covered the forest was washed away in torrential rain and waves pounding the shore.
After being spotted in a channel cutting through the site of the fossil forest, the antlers of a mature, large red deer were covered by the incoming tide.
But scientists were able to pinpoint its location from photographs taken at the time of the discovery and were able to lift it from the seabed where it had been covered by 3ft of water.
The amazing find was made by two walkers who spotted the antlers lying in the sand on the beach at Borth, Ceredigion – an area already rich in archaeology
The 4ft-wide antlers belonged to a giant stag which roamed the forest during the Bronze Age, and were laid bare by strong tides on the Cardigan Bay coastline. They are now being examined by an archaeological research team at the University of Wales Trinity St David's in Lampeter
The antlers are now being examined by an archaeological research team at the University of Wales Trinity St David's in Lampeter.
Research leader Dr Martin Bates said: 'This is a wonderful discovery that really brings the forest and its environs to light.
'The forest and peat deposits either side of this channel date to between about 6,000 and 4,000 years ago - the time of the last hunter-gatherers and the earliest farmers in Britain.
Research leader Dr Martin Bates (pictured) said: 'This is a wonderful discovery that really brings the forest and its environs to light'
'It is wonderful that this find was reported to us so that we could recover these remains for scientific study, rather than it ending up on the wall in somebody's house, lost to the world much as it has been for the last 4,000 years.'
University faunal specialist Dr Ros Coard said: 'This animal was certainly in the prime of his life, showing full development of the large antlers.'
The skull and antlers will now form part of the investigation into the forest to try and shed a light on how and why it died all those centuries ago.
The shin-high stumps were once part of a forest that covered the whole area before it turned into a peat bog and was eventually overwhelmed by water
The shin-high stumps were once part of a forest that covered the whole area before it turned into a peat bog and was eventually overwhelmed by water.
They have been miraculously well preserved due to the conditions in the peat bog, which are deprived of oxygen and usually have a high alkaline level.
The lack of oxygen means microbes, which rot things, cannot grow, while the alkali pickles whatever it touches, helping to preserve it.
They have been miraculously well preserved due to the conditions in the peat bog, which are deprived of oxygen and usually have a high alkaline level
The lack of oxygen means microbes, which rot things, cannot grow, while the alkali pickles whatever it touches, helping to preserve it
Folklore has it that Cantre'r Gwaelod, or the Sunken Hundred, a once-fertile land and township, was lost beneath the waves in a mythical age
The land is said to have extended 20 miles west of the present Cardigan Bay, but disaster struck and Cantre'r Gwaelod was lost to floods when Mererid, the priestess of a fairy well, apparently neglected her duties and allowed the well to overflow
Folklore has it that Cantre'r Gwaelod, or the Sunken Hundred, a once-fertile land and township, was lost beneath the waves in a mythical age.
The land is said to have extended 20 miles west of the present Cardigan Bay, but disaster struck and Cantre'r Gwaelod was lost to floods when Mererid, the priestess of a fairy well, apparently neglected her duties and allowed the well to overflow.
Archaeologists knew the 5,000-year-old forest existed on the beach at Borth and stumps were sometimes visible along parts of it at low tide.
Archaeologists knew the 5,000-year-old forest existed on the beach at Borth and stumps were sometimes visible along parts of it at low tide
But the storms in early 2014 revealed a whole new section thought to include oak and pine near Ynyslas, further north than the previously seen remains. The stumps are preserved because of conditions in the peat
Part of a wattle walkway, believed to date from ancient times, has also appeared. It is thought it was made from branches, sticks or logs and used for people to cross wet ground without sinking into it
The 2014 discoveries were made by Deanna Groom and Ross Cook from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
But the storms in early 2014 revealed a whole new section thought to include oak and pine near Ynyslas, further north than the previously seen remains. The stumps are preserved because of conditions in the peat.
Part of a wattle walkway, believed to date from ancient times, has also appeared. It is thought it was made from branches, sticks or logs and used for people to cross wet ground without sinking into it.
The discoveries were made by Deanna Groom and Ross Cook from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.
On February 21 2014, Miss Groom, a maritime archaeologist, said: 'The site around Borth is one where if there's a bad storm and it gets battered, you know there's a good chance something will be uncovered as the peat gets washed away'
Miss Groom added: 'It's regularly monitored and that's why we went to have a look there again now to see if anything new had emerged'
The whole area was once under forest which, over time, became peaty and was then submerged under the sea as the coastline changed over thousands of years
On February 21 2014, Miss Groom, a maritime archaeologist, said: 'The site around Borth is one where if there's a bad storm and it gets battered, you know there's a good chance something will be uncovered as the peat gets washed away.
'It's regularly monitored and that's why we went to have a look there again now to see if anything new had emerged.'
The whole area was once under forest which, over time, became peaty and was then submerged under the sea as the coastline changed over thousands of years.
During finer weather in the summer, the beach is sandy. Further tests will be conducted on the walkway to try to establish an exact date of origin.
Along the coastline, plaques such as this one depict the legend of the lost city, which was supposedly sunk near to the site of the forest which emerged two years ago
During finer weather in summer, the beach is sandy. Pictured: A plaque depicting the legend of the lost city
The amazing find was made by two walkers who spotted the antlers lying in the sand on the beach at Borth, Ceredigion – an area already rich in archaeology.
The 4ft-wide antlers belonged to a giant stag which roamed the forest during the Bronze Age, and were laid bare by strong tides on the Cardigan Bay coastline.
The antlers are now being examined by an archaeological research team at the University of Wales Trinity St David's in Lampeter.
Research leader Dr Martin Bates said: 'This is a wonderful discovery that really brings the forest and its environs to light.
'The forest and peat deposits either side of this channel date to between about 6,000 and 4,000 years ago - the time of the last hunter-gatherers and the earliest farmers in Britain.'
Folklore has it that Cantre'r Gwaelod, or the Sunken Hundred, a once-fertile land and township, was lost beneath the waves in a mythical age.
The land is said to have extended 20 miles west of the present Cardigan Bay, but disaster struck and Cantre'r Gwaelod was lost to floods when Mererid, the priestess of a fairy well, apparently neglected her duties and allowed the well to overflow.
Archaeologists knew the 5,000-year-old forest existed on the beach at Borth
and stumps were sometimes visible along parts of it at low tide.
But the storms in early 2014 revealed a whole new section thought to include oak and pine near Ynyslas, further north than the previously seen remains. The stumps are preserved because of conditions in the peat.
Part of a wattle walkway, believed to date from ancient times, has also appeared. It is thought it was made from branches, sticks or logs and used for people to cross wet ground without sinking into it.
Deer skull and antlers which are 4,000 YEARS old are found by walkers on beach where storms uncovered ancient forest
4,000-year-old red deer skull and antlers were discovered by walkers on the beach at Borth, Ceredigion
Find was made on the same beach where an ancient forest from the Bronze Age was uncovered by storms in 2014
Shin-high stumps of oak and yew trees were exposed by strong tides which washed away the peat covering them
The 4ft-wide antlers, which are being examined by archaeologists, belonged to a giant stag which roamed the forest
By Kate Samuelson For Mailonline
29 April 2016
A 4,000-year-old red deer skull and antlers have been found on the same Welsh beach where an ancient forest was uncovered by storms two years ago.
The amazing find was made by two walkers who spotted the antlers lying in the sand on the beach at Borth, Ceredigion – an area already rich in archaeology.
The 4ft-wide antlers belonged to a giant stag which roamed the forest during the Bronze Age, and were laid bare by strong tides on the Cardigan Bay coastline.
A 4000-year-old red deer skull and antlers has been found on a Welsh beach where an ancient forest was uncovered during a storm two years ago
It is on the same shore where storms exposed the shin-high stumps of oak and yew trees in 2014, found when the peat which once covered the forest was washed away in torrential rain and waves pounding the shore.
After being spotted in a channel cutting through the site of the fossil forest, the antlers of a mature, large red deer were covered by the incoming tide.
But scientists were able to pinpoint its location from photographs taken at the time of the discovery and were able to lift it from the seabed where it had been covered by 3ft of water.
The amazing find was made by two walkers who spotted the antlers lying in the sand on the beach at Borth, Ceredigion – an area already rich in archaeology
The 4ft-wide antlers belonged to a giant stag which roamed the forest during the Bronze Age, and were laid bare by strong tides on the Cardigan Bay coastline. They are now being examined by an archaeological research team at the University of Wales Trinity St David's in Lampeter
The antlers are now being examined by an archaeological research team at the University of Wales Trinity St David's in Lampeter.
Research leader Dr Martin Bates said: 'This is a wonderful discovery that really brings the forest and its environs to light.
'The forest and peat deposits either side of this channel date to between about 6,000 and 4,000 years ago - the time of the last hunter-gatherers and the earliest farmers in Britain.
Research leader Dr Martin Bates (pictured) said: 'This is a wonderful discovery that really brings the forest and its environs to light'
'It is wonderful that this find was reported to us so that we could recover these remains for scientific study, rather than it ending up on the wall in somebody's house, lost to the world much as it has been for the last 4,000 years.'
University faunal specialist Dr Ros Coard said: 'This animal was certainly in the prime of his life, showing full development of the large antlers.'
The skull and antlers will now form part of the investigation into the forest to try and shed a light on how and why it died all those centuries ago.
The shin-high stumps were once part of a forest that covered the whole area before it turned into a peat bog and was eventually overwhelmed by water
The shin-high stumps were once part of a forest that covered the whole area before it turned into a peat bog and was eventually overwhelmed by water.
They have been miraculously well preserved due to the conditions in the peat bog, which are deprived of oxygen and usually have a high alkaline level.
The lack of oxygen means microbes, which rot things, cannot grow, while the alkali pickles whatever it touches, helping to preserve it.
They have been miraculously well preserved due to the conditions in the peat bog, which are deprived of oxygen and usually have a high alkaline level
The lack of oxygen means microbes, which rot things, cannot grow, while the alkali pickles whatever it touches, helping to preserve it
Folklore has it that Cantre'r Gwaelod, or the Sunken Hundred, a once-fertile land and township, was lost beneath the waves in a mythical age
The land is said to have extended 20 miles west of the present Cardigan Bay, but disaster struck and Cantre'r Gwaelod was lost to floods when Mererid, the priestess of a fairy well, apparently neglected her duties and allowed the well to overflow
Folklore has it that Cantre'r Gwaelod, or the Sunken Hundred, a once-fertile land and township, was lost beneath the waves in a mythical age.
The land is said to have extended 20 miles west of the present Cardigan Bay, but disaster struck and Cantre'r Gwaelod was lost to floods when Mererid, the priestess of a fairy well, apparently neglected her duties and allowed the well to overflow.
Archaeologists knew the 5,000-year-old forest existed on the beach at Borth and stumps were sometimes visible along parts of it at low tide.
Archaeologists knew the 5,000-year-old forest existed on the beach at Borth and stumps were sometimes visible along parts of it at low tide
But the storms in early 2014 revealed a whole new section thought to include oak and pine near Ynyslas, further north than the previously seen remains. The stumps are preserved because of conditions in the peat
Part of a wattle walkway, believed to date from ancient times, has also appeared. It is thought it was made from branches, sticks or logs and used for people to cross wet ground without sinking into it
The 2014 discoveries were made by Deanna Groom and Ross Cook from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
But the storms in early 2014 revealed a whole new section thought to include oak and pine near Ynyslas, further north than the previously seen remains. The stumps are preserved because of conditions in the peat.
Part of a wattle walkway, believed to date from ancient times, has also appeared. It is thought it was made from branches, sticks or logs and used for people to cross wet ground without sinking into it.
The discoveries were made by Deanna Groom and Ross Cook from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.
On February 21 2014, Miss Groom, a maritime archaeologist, said: 'The site around Borth is one where if there's a bad storm and it gets battered, you know there's a good chance something will be uncovered as the peat gets washed away'
Miss Groom added: 'It's regularly monitored and that's why we went to have a look there again now to see if anything new had emerged'
The whole area was once under forest which, over time, became peaty and was then submerged under the sea as the coastline changed over thousands of years
On February 21 2014, Miss Groom, a maritime archaeologist, said: 'The site around Borth is one where if there's a bad storm and it gets battered, you know there's a good chance something will be uncovered as the peat gets washed away.
'It's regularly monitored and that's why we went to have a look there again now to see if anything new had emerged.'
The whole area was once under forest which, over time, became peaty and was then submerged under the sea as the coastline changed over thousands of years.
During finer weather in the summer, the beach is sandy. Further tests will be conducted on the walkway to try to establish an exact date of origin.
Along the coastline, plaques such as this one depict the legend of the lost city, which was supposedly sunk near to the site of the forest which emerged two years ago
During finer weather in summer, the beach is sandy. Pictured: A plaque depicting the legend of the lost city
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