A recent archaeological excavation in Cambridge led to the discovery of an unopened Victorian soft drink bottle. The find occurred as part of a project converting a shopping center into a new science hub. According to Les Capon, project manager with AOC Archaeology, the area possibly housed a blacksmith’s workshop, evidenced by remnants of a forge and an anvil.
Mr. Capon expressed the rarity of finding the intact drink bottle, as typically, children would break them to retrieve the small marble inside. He emphasized the value of archaeological excavations in uncovering details about past civilizations. By examining ash pits, where refuse was buried, researchers can glean insights into the everyday lives and social statuses of historical inhabitants. Broken artifacts found in such pits illuminate consumption habits, societal wealth, and general lifestyles.
During the dig, the team unearthed a glass soft drinks bottle believed to originate from the 1890s. Notably, this bottle retained its marble-containing squeeze neck, suggesting it was carefully stored and never opened before the site’s demolition. As the excavation progressed, additional clues emerged regarding the site’s history, such as the presence of broken metal fragments near a section of the floor assumed to have held an anvil. The worn ground surface and signs of disturbance in a specific area hinted at the former presence of a blacksmith’s forge on the premises
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