East Leeds Orbital Route: The incredible historic finds uncovered during building of major new Leeds road

But archaeologists have revealed that 6,000 years of the city’s history has been unearthed during the huge construction project of the East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR).

A range of objects uncovered during the building of the four mile road has now gone into the archives at Leeds Discovery Centre.

The remarkable archive includes a beautifully preserved prehistoric arrowhead, a Bronze Age axe, medieval pottery and a 300-year-old pair of nutcrackers.

As part of the project, a team of experts from Wessex Archaeology was commissioned to carry out detailed archaeological surveys and digs along the whole of the route, meticulously searching for evidence of sites of historic significance and ensuring any important artefacts were collected, documented and properly assessed.

Kat Baxter, Leeds Museums and Galleries’ curator of archaeology, said: “What makes this such a fascinating archive is its sheer scope and scale.

"What we can see is a snapshot of different people and communities who have been in this part of Leeds over thousands of years.

“Whether they lived here in the Stone Age or the Medieval period, archaeology gives us the opportunity to imagine the lives of those who were here before us.

"It also underlines the importance of preserving archaeological archives for future.”

Among the finds was a neolithic arrowhead. Carefully shaped from flint around 6,000 years ago, each individual knapping mark, the ancient process used to shape and sharpen stone, is still clearly visible along its keen edges.

Also discovered was a bronze alloy flat axe head, believed to be more than 4,000 years old, a dark blue glass bead from the Late Roman period, pottery from before the Norman Conquest and a Post-Medieval buckle, as well as items dating back to the abandoned medieval version of Morwick.

Other unusual finds included an 18th century set of nutcrackers and a clay pipe bowl featuring the carefully carved, seated figure of Britannia, thought to date from around the 1840s.

Ashley Tuck, research manager with Wessex Archaeology said: “There’s a great sense of satisfaction in seeing the archive from this project in the permanent collection of Leeds Museum for the local community to care for and explore in the future.

"Our work has revealed much about the history of the area to the north and east of Leeds, spanning almost every period.

“The project has seen contributions from a range of experts, from field archaeologists, geophysicists, finds and environmental specialists, to researchers, archivists and many others. We look forward to publishing the final results later this year.”

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said: “Each of these objects tells its own small part of the story of east Leeds, and seen together, they really capture what a rich and fascinating story that is.

“Collecting these amazing finds is also such a huge and important part of what museums like ours do too, ensuring our local heritage is preserved for future generations and that these historic objects are not lost in time.”