Frog bones found in Cambridgeshire Iron Age ditch baffle experts

Image source, Mola/Andy Chopping

Thousands of ancient frog and toad bones were found during the excavation of a new road.

The bones were found in a ditch near the site of an Iron Age roundhouse.

The amount of remains concentrated in one place is extraordinary according to scientists from the Museum of London Archaeology.

Do you know why the bones were there?

The bones were found in a ditch on the western side of a roundhouse, which was used during the Middle and Late Iron Age.

The experts from the museum group said that there were very few other amphibian bones found in the surrounding area.

Image source, Mola/Andy Chopping

The scale of the find was out of the ordinary.

Mola zooarchaeologists are on a fascinating detective inquiry after this surprising and strange discovery.

There are several theories that have been suggested.

Image source, Mola/Andy Chopping

There are no burn marks or bite marks on the bones of the amphibians, so it's not likely that they were eaten by humans or other animals.

They might have been attracted to the area by the promise of food, as nearby evidence of grain processing would have brought in insects, which are known to eat frog.

They could have fallen into the ditch of the roundhouse during migration and not been able to escape.

During a particularly cold winter, they may have died from a disease.

Image source, Mola Headland Infrastructure

Dr Vicki Ewens is a senior archaeozoologist at Mola.

There are a number of different factors that may have contributed to the frog remains accumulating.

The bones were found during excavations along the new route of the A14, but investigations are still ongoing.

This will remain a mystery until then.

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