Bradgate Park dig finds traces of Ice Age hunters

The new dig was at the base of the valley where there was a higher chance of finding butchery sites

An archaeological excavation at a public park has uncovered traces of Ice Age hunters who patrolled the area.

The trust that runs Bradgate Park, in Leicestershire, worked with charity Ice Age Insights to look for traces of groups that camped on the site some 14,000 years ago.

In 2014 flint tools were found at the park, near an eroded path.

The two-week dig found more stone implements, confirming the presence of nomadic hunting groups.

'Good hunting'

Project archaeologist Lynden Cooper said: "We have people leading a mobile existence, going from place to place on a seasonal basis.

"They probably knew these places and worked their way down river valleys to where there would be good hunting."

These may even have been the same people who lived at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire, which gives its name to the culture "Creswellian".

The first dig in 2014 showed hunting bands were in the area but this only told half the story.

Mr Cooper said: "We found scrapers and bone working tools, where they processed the animals.

"But we knew there would be a butchery site, where they killed the animals, on the flood plain of the river.

"That's what we were looking for this time."

Through a series of small pits, a number of potential sites have been sampled.

Mr Cooper said: "We found some tools, confirming the habitation but the main butchery sites were always going to be trickier to locate."

The fieldwork was being conducted by volunteers from the park, many on their very first excavation, and was led by professionals supported by the National Heritage Lottery Fund.