Glastonbury Lake Village, Iron Age archaeological site in Somerset, England
Glastonbury Lake Village is an Iron Age settlement in the Somerset Levels, a floodplain area in southwestern England where inhabitants built roundhouses on artificial clay platforms. The site spans several acres and reveals the foundations and ground-level remains of domestic structures from thousands of years ago.
The settlement emerged in the late Iron Age and remained occupied for roughly two centuries before being abandoned. Systematic excavation began in the 1890s and provided crucial insights into how Iron Age communities organized their lives.
The site reveals how Iron Age inhabitants organized their daily routines through evidence of craft work, food preparation, and domestic tasks. Artifacts show a community built around shared labor and local production rather than trade networks.
The site itself shows little above ground since buildings have long since decomposed, but the discoveries are displayed in nearby museum collections. Visitors can see the actual artifacts from the settlement, including everyday tools and household items, preserved behind glass.
The waterlogged environment preserved wooden tools and household goods in exceptional condition, items that would normally decay to dust over centuries. This natural preservation allowed archaeologists to learn about craft techniques and daily diets in a level of detail rarely possible from ancient sites.
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