'Stunning' burial chamber unearthed on Dartmoor

The burial chamber is believed to be almost 4,000 years old

Archaeologists have unearthed a "stunning" Bronze Age burial chamber on one of Dartmoor’s most isolated hills.

Experts discovered a stone-built box, sometimes known as a cist, at Cut Hill during a three-day dig earlier this month.

Radiocarbon dating of charcoal found inside suggests the chamber, used to bury the dead during prehistoric times, is about 3,900 years old.

Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), which led the project, said the discovery had been prompted by reports of a feature being visible in the peat.

'Fascinating'

The authority said the find had parallels to the cist unearthed at Dartmoor's Whitehorse Hill in 2011, which uncovered items including cremated human bone, a woven bag and amber beads.

Excavation director and archaeologist Dr Lee Bray said: "We were all pretty speechless when we lifted the capstone and looked inside.

"Not only is the cist bigger than we expected, but it contained multiple pieces of wood that appear to have been deliberately shaped and cut.

"This prompts more questions - could the wood have been an object that was dismantled and deliberately placed inside the grave? If so, what was it and who did it belong to?"

Dr Bray said there was every chance the chamber could be found to contain further objects and artefacts once the team explored further.

"It’s a stunning discovery with the potential to be every bit as fascinating as the finds at Whitehorse Hill," he added.

DNPA said the contents of the cist had now been removed for further examination.