Human bones found in Gloucestershire date back to Bronze Age

Human remains discovered by a dog walker alongside a river earlier this year have been found to be more than 4,000 years old.

A man contacted the police after finding the bones near the River Severn in Longney, Gloucestershire, in March.

Carbon dating established that they dated from between 2340BC and 2140BC.

Gloucestershire Police's Martin Cuffe, said it was a surprise. "It was quite a shock to be told that these were dating back to the Bronze Age," he added.

The dog walker spotted the bones in mud near a pumping station and picked them up using a plastic bag.

Police were called to the scene after it appeared that one of the bones was a human skull. They were sent for testing to see how old they were and if they related to an ongoing investigation.

Mr Cuffe said that although it wasn't unusual to find bones "dating back a few hundred years" the fact that they dated back so far was unexpected.

"The age of the bones means that they will not form part of any criminal investigation and with only a small number of bones, we are unlikely to be able to glean much more information about the individual, which is a shame, as it would be interesting to know more about this person, and how they lived," he added.

It comes weeks after a different set of bones was discovered further along the River Severn at Newnham, which were found to date from between 1260 and 1400.

Police said they had contacted the county archaeologist to investigate whether the bones will undergo any further examination.

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