"If it weren't for large scale mineral extraction then we wouldn't find sites like this," says Ian Grant who is leading a team of archaeologists from the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, currently excavating a Neolithic site at the Borras quarry near Wrexham.

Ian explained that small trenches are insufficient for finding such sites and that they could easily go undiscovered unless archaeologists are able to view a large area.

The Neolithic site at Borras quarry is an exciting discovery for the archaeologists and one that is particularly rare, even unique, in the North Wales region.

What the archaeologists initially thought was the remnants of fires made by the nomadic people 4,500-5,000 years ago, Ian now believes could be a pottery manufacturing site. The team have already uncovered in excess of 50 fire pits in a small area on the quarry site and the pottery that they have found has led them to speculate that it could indeed have been a place where Neolithic man settled to make a variety of decorated pottery.

Ian was on site from the start as the top soil was removed at the site. "It is one of the requirements put into place with planning, " he said. "The term is a watching brief – a single archaeologist watching the machines as they scrape away the soil. I started watching them open this site. There was the odd little pit at first which we thought were hunter gatherer cooking pits. They were a nomadic people who moved with the seasons so it is not unusual to find single cooking pits at places where they stopped. To find a site where they decided to settle for a short or long period is quite rare."

It soon became apparent, however, that the Borras site was more than just a place where Neolithic man had stopped for a few days and the number of pits that were emerging prompted Ian to ask for a full scale excavation at the site.

Construction firm Tarmac obliged, ceased activities in the area and are even funding the archaeological work.

"We have found 14 fire pits in one small area on the site so we are not talking about a couple of people stopping and having a camp fire," Ian added. "They are indicated by fire cracked stones, charred earth and charcoal and in some cases we have found the remnants of pottery which is rare. They may not be cooking pits. One of the that we are
considering is that they may have been actually manufacturing pottery here. We need to talk to people who know more about that process but the amount we are finding means it's possible that it could have been manufactured on site. It would be nice to be able to say that we have a centre for pottery here in Wrexham – 'Wrexham Ware'."

The pottery is decorated and is identifiable among the debris by the use of minerals, such of quartz, to bind the clay in the pottery.

Ian explained the methods of decoration. He said: "Some of the rims have been cord decorated. They would have used twisted cord, perhaps made using animal guts, sticking it at the top to create a decorative pattern. The other decoration is stab marks made with a bone or ivory tool, embossing the pot by pushing it in."

Surprisingly, the initial excavations were actually helped by the rain which revealed darker patches in the top soil, indicating fire pits below. The time consuming operation first involves cleaning back an area to discover the pits below and then careful excavation.

The excavation will take a number of weeks to complete and Ian and his team are hopeful that they can build up a complete picture of what went on there and what the site and even the environment around would have looked like.

In order to get a complete picture of the site, samples have also been sent to a paleo-environmentalist who should be able to determine what was growing in the area at the time and what the landscape and vegetation would have looked like.

"At the moment the site seems to have been from one specific time period. We have taken a number of samples to send away for carbon dating to see if there were later occupations and I wouldn't be surprised to see evidence of later, such as bronze age, occupations in the area.

"There are no Medieval or Roman occupations though so no later metal finds."

The archaeologists have been looking out for flint tools which would have been used by Neolithic man but have not found many. Ian suggests that it is because flint is scarce in the area and that the three or four pieces that have been found are of good quality and would have almost certainly have been imported to North Wales.

The team are also looking for evidence of any timber structures though, so far, they have not found any. Ian said: "This was a sort of transitional period towards civilisation as we know it. People were beginning to settle in one place as farmers and so any signs of houses or buildings can be of great interest."

Ian said that such sites are often found in areas where there is a lot of sand and gravel and good drainage. He also pointed out the geography and geology of the area as a possible factor in the location of the site.

He said: "The site is located near kettle holes, a glacial phenomena dotted around here. The high position also means that there are excellent views over to Hope mountain, Brymbo, Pentre Broughton, Brymbo, Coedpoeth, Minera and of course Borras."

The excavations at the site will continue for the next few weeks and Ian expects many more finds to emerge as new areas of the quarry are opened up.

The Evening Leader will continue to follow the excavations and any more interesting discoveries.