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A knife described as the "iPhone of the Bronze Age " has been found buried with the 4,000-year-old remains of woman in an ancient grave under a British pub.

Builders found a large stone slab while digging trenches to lay new drains for holiday flats behind the Tankerville Arms Hotel in Wooler, Northumberland.

The workmen found a Bronze Age cist inside the slab beside human remains.

Roger Miket, an archaeologist , said the knife has kept its cutting edge and would have been an essential, multi-purpose tool.

"In today's context it would have been similar to having the latest iPhone in terms of it being a prized possession," the 70-year-old expert said.

He added: "If the house catches fire you might grab your phone today, you would have grabbed your knife in those days.

(Image: North News & Pictures Ltd nort)

"It was a multi-purpose tool for them, they would use it to hunt, skin animals and cut up vegetables.

"But it was also more than that. You are looking at something that's beautiful and elegant in its own right.

"The person who made this took the effort to make something so amazing that the individual would look after it.

"They put the lovely little flint knife in the grave with this person for their afterlife, which they must have believed in."

The contents of the cist are now undergoing laboratory analysis to discover if it contains more than one person's remains, their age, any illnesses they suffered and anything else interesting that can be determined.

"To put it into context, this person existed at least a century before Tutankhamun was buried,” said Mr Miket, who worked on the discovery with the Northumberland County Council archaeology team.

“It was a great discovery, these cists are essentially time capsules.

(Image: North News & Pictures Ltd nort)

"The body was placed into a crouching position to fit them in, almost a sleeping position. They put a lovely little flint knife in the grave with this person for their use in the after-life.”

It is understood the woman would have been much loved because a lot of effort was put into creating her final resting place.

Charlotte Lowery, manager of Tankerville Arms Hotel, said the find was a “huge shock”.

"It's absolutely amazing. Especially to know it's been there all that time. The fact the knife blade is still really very sharp is crazy,” she said.