A TEAM of archaeologists has unearthed a rare find which has laid hidden in the Dales for more than 3,000 years.

The discovery of a Bronze Age ring cairn and other items of historical importance at a site near Kettlewell, follows two years' work by Dr Roger Martlew and a group of his students from Leeds University's school of continuing education.

The find also suggests that the Dales, thought to have been a bit of a backwater at that time, may actually have had wider connections to other parts of the country.

Dr Martlew said the students' discoveries, which include burial cists (chambers), indicate a range of ancient rituals that make the site so interesting.

"This site has been unusual right from the start," he said."After a detailed field survey we thought we'd found a prehistoric round-house, but once the excavation started we realised we were on to something very different."

The dig was postponed for a time during the foot and mouth outbreak, but excavations before and after the crisis have unearthed a number of surprises.

Hollows that were expected to contain cremation burials in pottery urns proved to be empty.

The latest find was the final resting place of an infant, carefully laid in a stone-lined hollow, with more stones placed on top of the body.

This find has been particularly exciting as it is thought this burial may well belong to a phase of activity even older than the ring-cairn.

Dr Martlew said it was not impossible that the child, believed to have been up to the age of four, may have been part of a sacrificial ritual, although could just as easily have been a natural death and placed in the site as an offering of some kind.

Unearthed nearby were the remains of a cow, as well as several pieces of pottery. Much of the latter is being kept at the Craven Museum, in Skipton Town Hall.

According to Dr Martlew, no other site like this has been found in the Dales.

The indications are that the region may have had a greater importance during that period of history than was previously thought to be the case.

Dr Martlew added: "The site is full of features which, although found individually at different ring cairns around the UK, have not been found together in one place before."

The excavation has already provided the focus for archaeological field courses run by the school of continuing education, and funding has also been obtained from the Center for Field Research in the USA.

After an enforced break during the foot and mouth crisis, work is now continuing to unravel the complexities of this site.

Some more excavation work will be carried out on the site after winter as there are still some areas which have not been touched.

Once the work is complete Dr Martlew hopes to be able to take interested parties there, including school children, to see the significance of the site for themselves.