After spending three weeks excavating a medieval town whose remains were buried under what is now a grazing pasture, archaeologists have found evidence of an alehouse house dating back multiple centuries, the BBC reports.
Among the items found at the site in East Yorkshire, outside the city of Leeds, were a large numbers of jugs and pottery beakers, which suggests that the site was perhaps a pub. But the presence of animal bones suggests that the site could have once been an inn where travelers could stay for the night.
“People would stop and rest,” assistant site director Emma Samuel told the BBC. “It was a myth that everyone owned horses back then. They didn’t. Horses were expensive. People would often walk. People had to stay overnight somewhere when making long journeys.”
Other objects found include knives, jewelry, and other accessories for clothing, such as a clasp to close a shirt. An exact date for most of the items found, along with the pub as a whole, remains unknown, although Samuel told the BBC that the settlement could be from the 7th century.
The dig was carried out by Humber Timelines and Ethos Heritage CIC, which are not associated with universities but run by local archaeology enthusiasts. Over the span of three weeks, a group largely composed of community members exhumed the objects. Posts from Humber on Instagram show children holding out pieces of pottery they’ve unearthed.