AN IRON Age settlement discovered in the middle of a huge Hampshire housing estate is expected to attract worldwide archaeological interest.

Experts called in to probe the site in Chandler's Ford have contacted English Heritage and the area could now be registered as an ancient monument.

Excavations at Zionshill Copse unearthed bone and pottery dating from between 400 and 50 years BC.

The survey confirmed the earthworks surrounded a settlement dating from the middle Iron Age.

Test Valley countryside officer Jim Adkins said: "The survey revealed a range of previously unknown earthworks. It allowed others that had been discovered during assessment of the area prior to development to be accurately plotted."

Archaeologist Dr Roy Entwhistle concluded the enclosure was a small domestic settlement, possibly of one or two extended families, who lived in the area over two thousand years ago.

But experts are unlikely to find animal or human bones on the site at Valley Park which would not have survived the acidic nature of the soil in the area. It is believed the centre of the enclosure is likely to contain evidence of round houses and storage pits, which could offer a glimpse into the life of the ancient community that once lived there.

Gordon Cox, chairman of Eastleigh and District Local History Society, said: "This is an important discovery and it should be safeguarded as soon as possible.

"It should certainly be preserved for the benefit of future generations and the history of our nation. It could now attract worldwide interest."

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