WHAT could be one of the most important and unique archaeological finds in the UK has been discovered on the Kingswood Gate estate.

A small crucible or melting pot, about 5cm in diameter believed to be from the bronze or iron age, was found on the building site, still half full of what experts believe to be gold.

Archaeologist Steve Clarke who was handed the find said it was “remarkable” and “more important than finding a hoard of gold coins”.

It shows that sophisticated craftsmen were working on gold between circa 2,500 and c.800 at a time when they produced gold ornaments and other prestige items.

The metal crucible would have been used for burning off the impurities that the gold may have been mixed with to produce pure gold.

Steve added 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 in Britain for 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 smelt intact," he added.

The crucible was found by one of the workmen of Barratt’s Homes, Mr Paul Evans.

Monmouth Archaeology, the archaeological contractors for the developers, Barrett’s Homes and David Wilson Homes, have unearthed extensive 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 Middle Stone Age (Mesolithic hunter-gatherers’) occupation sites thousands of years older, while Roman activities include a 2nd century iron working industry and what may be a Roman vineyard.