Flint blade and French coins among finds at dolmen dig
A RARE flint blade and two French coins are among the first finds that have been uncovered at one of Guernsey's most iconic dolmen sites.
The Clifton Antiquarian Club arrived in Guernsey from Bristol last week and started digging the first of seven planned trenches at Le Trepied on Thursday.
The granite chamber, which stands on a hill to the south of Perelle Bay, was first excavated in the 1830s and all the treasures from inside were removed.
But this dig is looking at the area around the 5,000-year-old structure to study whether the dolmen was once covered and what items could have been left behind.
The volunteers have only had to dig down half a metre to reach back thousands of years.
Club vice-chairman Laurie Waite said they had already made plenty of finds, including a flint blade, which would have been used to prepare and cut food and material.
'It is still sharp enough to cut a finger, which is why we are wearing gloves and using trowels,' he said.
Assistant States archaeologist Kit Hughes said these items were often found on the south coast of England, but were much rarer in Guernsey because there is no natural flint here.
