Roman Cupid Figurine Among Over 10,000 Artifacts Unearthed by Highway Dig

Archaeologists have uncovered more than 10,000 artifacts during excavations conducted as part of a highway upgrade project in the United Kingdom.

The finds date from various time periods spanning more than 12,000 years of history—including the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age), Neolithic (New Stone Age), Bronze Age, Iron Age, the Roman era and World War II—National Highways, a U.K.-government-owned body responsible for operating, maintaining and improving major roads in the country, announced in a press release.

Among the artifacts are coins, jewelry, pottery fragments and an intriguing Cupid figurine from the Roman period.

The recent excavations took place as part of a National Highways project to improve a three-mile stretch of road on the A417 route in the county of Gloucestershire, southwest England, that runs through a region known as the Cotswolds.

So far, the excavations have uncovered more than 10,600 artifacts collectively weighing around 220 pounds, which shed light on how the lives of inhabitants in the area have changed over thousands of years.

"We are excited about the findings this landscape-led scheme uncovered, as they provide a unique window into the ancient history of Gloucestershire," Steve Foxley, project director for the A417 scheme with National Highways, said in a press release.

"These discoveries will contribute significantly to our understanding of how people in the past adapted to changing environmental conditions, and we will ensure the remains are preserved and recorded," Foxley said.

The excavations covered an area of around 35 hectares, and involved a team of more than 100 experts, including researchers from Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (OCA).

"We knew that the area was rich with archaeological potential, but the results of our fieldwork have exceeded all expectations—we have been treated to some excellent archaeology that tells a fascinating story about this corner of the Cotswolds across thousands of years," OCA project manager Alex Thomson said in the press release.

"We have recovered some fantastic artifacts to go with those we found during the evaluation stage, and these have included prehistoric flint tools, pottery from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman periods, countless coins and items of jewelry, plus a series of emotive everyday items from thousands of years ago that give a unique window into life across the ages," Thomson said.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about archaeology? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.