PREHISTORIC gold-working has been discovered on a building site in Monmouth.

A small crucible for smelting precious metal has been found – still half full of gold at the site off Wonastow Road.

Archaeologists say this is a remarkable discovery as it is more important than finding a pot of gold coins or jewellery.

Steve Clarke, chair of Monmouth Archaeological Society explains that this discovery shows that sophisticated craftsmen were working in Overmonnow, on this very site, at a very remote time.

The find is believed to be Bronze Age or Iron Age and, as treasure trove, its future will be decided by a coroner.

The crucible was found by one of the workmen at Barratt’s Homes.

The expert suggested that it appears that there had been an accident or incident during the smelting of the gold and the crucible was damaged, never to be recovered – until now.

The find may be unique as, although small traces of gold and silver have been detected in crucibles previously, this appears to be the first time that a crucible has been found with its gold intact.

Mr Clarke said: “This remarkable discovery should put further pressure on the Welsh heritage body Cadw to see that there is proper archaeological cover during groundworks on other nearby building sites.”

Monmouth archaeologists have been in contention with Cadw and the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust for four years, ever since the trust decided that they did not want any archaeologists on the site during the building of a new estate next to the now famous prehistoric remains at Parc Glyndwr, Rockfield Road.

Mr. Clarke says that Cadw is claiming that the archaeology at Parc Glyndwr does not extend into the next field and added: “Prehistoric landscape boundaries do not ends at a modern hedge. It’s absolutely ludicrous to suggest that it does.”

Previously Monmouth Archaeology, the archaeological contractors for the developers, Barrett’s Homes and David Wilson Homes, have found extensive evidence of settlements around Monmouth’s post-glacial lake going back at least 6,000 years.

These include a Bronze Age ‘lake village’, with buildings on stilts, which was continuously occupied in and around the lake for at least fifteen hundred years. There have also been far earlier Middle Stone Age (Mesolithic) hunter-gatherers’ occupation sites while Roman activities include a second century iron working industry and what may be a Roman vineyard.

The gold-working discovery was taking place at a time when some of the great prehistoric treasures such as torcs and other gold-work were being made in Britain and Ireland.

Although there was impressive prehistoric settlement around Overmonnow, the practice of placating the Gods with gold does not seem to have occurred to Bronze Age Monmothians, or if it did, the bogs around the recent development in this corner of Monmouth have yet to give up more of their secrets.