Archaeologists are finding out more about prehistoric life in Kent from 5,000 years ago at one of the country’s largest ancient burial grounds.

Experts say the multi-year dig at Stringmans Farm on the Lees Court Estate, near Faversham, has uncovered artefacts dating back to the Neolithic or Bronze Age period.

The community excavation project led by a team from the Kent Archaeological Society unearthed a selection of items including flint chippings (leftovers from making stone tools), fragments of rare, decorated pottery created 3,000 years before the Romans came to Kent, and evidence of human prehistoric cremations.

Archaeologists will now spend several more months carrying out further research into the finds and reviewing the information recovered to fully understand their significance.

Commenting on the project, Richard Taylor, general manager at Kent Archaeological Society said: “Our work represents a major contribution to prehistoric research in Kent, providing a fascinating insight into life five millennia ago.

“Kent is England’s oldest county – and is home to more castles and historic houses than any other region – but the information we’ve gleaned to date precedes any castle or house and will help us further unravel details relating to a far earlier era.

“We are looking forward to sharing our research findings with other archaeological bodies and the wider community in the near future.”

Archaeological work started at Stringmans Farm several years ago but the most recent excavations on three adjacent sites have been undertaken by a team of volunteers from Kent Archaeological Society.

Two of the sites lie on arable land with a further area under investigation sandwiched between these in a woodland area.

Experts at the society identified each of the three expanses to be the remains of a burial monument or ceremonial centre dating back to between 3000 and 1500 BC.

Another significant find has been pottery which dates back to about 3350-2900 BC and has been identified as ‘Mortlake pottery’.

Mr Taylor says the artefact and where it was discovered can give them an idea of the groups of people that were living in Kent at the time.

“This piece was found mid-way down the cut in the ring ditch which suggests that the monument is much older and indicates that it was used by many generations of early humans,” he added.

“The sheer size of the ring ditch and the labour that be involved to build such a monument by hand (and presumably flint and antler picks) is pretty incredible since we use excavators today and it would still be quite a feat.

“The burial monument between the elm trees near the ring ditch is also quite rare to find still upstanding as they are usually ploughed out.

“The site is certainly one of the biggest in the country and certainly in Kent but that information will need to be looked into further.

“The fact that so many funerary features are clustered along the valley is also pretty significant.”