Did you know 80,000 historical artefacts were unearthed during excavations for the building of Terminal 5?
At Gate 11 in T5 we have a new display showcasing some of the unique finds so here at yourHeathrow we thought we’d see what it’s all about.
The UK’s largest archaeological excavation…
The excavations at T5 were the biggest single-dig site in the United Kingdom during construction with some 250-acres explored and 8,000 years of human history unearthed in the process.
About 80,000 historical artefacts were found during the dig including a hand-axe dating back to 3000BC, allowing archaeologists to piece together the site’s history from the deep forests of the Old Stone Age, to the innovative terminal constructions of today.
The 80 archaeologists involved in this project worked hard during more than 15 months in Heathrow excavations to study how the landscape and the communities around the site have changed from 8,500 BC.
What’s on display at T5?
T5’s new display is located airside in the Northern Departure Lounge and showcases many of the unique archaeological finds from the site.
Visitors will also learn about the how the land around T5 evolved over 9,000 years to the present day. Beside the screens you can find replica artefacts including those made by the archaeologist, and star of Channel 4’s Time Team, Phil Harding. A large number of artefacts that were recovered from the T5 site are now on display at the Museum of London in the Barbican.
Want more info?
For more information on the history of the site and the items found please check out the Framework Archaeologists website. Wessex Archaeology and Oxford Archaeology organisations were both involved in the dig and research process.