LONDON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- A hoard of 3,000-year-old Bronze Age artifacts including axe heads and spear tips has been unearthed in a field in Essex, England, archaeologists said.
Archaeologists also found an intact pottery container with heavy contents and removed it from the dig site undisturbed and unopened for later analysis, the BBC reported Sunday.
The finds, taken to a local museum for examination, will offer new insights into Bronze Age Britain, experts said.
"This is a really exciting find," archaeologist Laura McLean said.
"To find a hoard still located in its Bronze Age context, below the level of ploughed soil, is very rare," she said. "The fact that there is pottery involved makes the find even more unusual."
The intact pot was so fragile and the contents so heavy, the decision was made to "block lift" it and transport it to the museum's laboratory for further study.
In block lifting, the earth around the object is dug away and the object itself is sealed -- in this case with plastic wrap -- to preserve it intact and to prevent damage in transit, the BBC reported.
