Complete wheels are very rare

3,000 year old wheel found in Cambridgeshire

Experts say it rivals the finds at Pompeii

Three Bronze Age houses found with their contents intact

The news

Archaeologists in the UK have unearthed what is thought to be the largest and oldest example of a wheel from the Bronze Age.

We've uncovered the oldest, complete Bronze Age wheel! Over the next few days we'll be sharing more detailed info. pic.twitter.com/2ZUBWCMQUN — Must Farm (@MustFarm) February 19, 2016

The 3,000-year-old discovery was made at a site in the county of Cambridgeshire which has been dubbed “Britain’s Pompeii”.

The historical heritage of the finds at Must Farm is said to rival that of the famous town buried by an erupting volcano in Italy.

The one-metre diameter wooden wheel has been dated back to as far as 1,100 BC.

Three Bronze Age round houses have been discovered at the site with their contents intact inside.

In pictures

This perfectly preserved 3,000-year-old wheel has been dug up in the UK: https://t.co/omb9roKUNlpic.twitter.com/t2BMgrW507 — Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) February 19, 2016

Archaeologists uncover most complete example of a Bronze Age wheel ever found https://t.co/0d4l3nLQhm UK pic.twitter.com/a3wVBx6AQN — Ticia Verveer (@ticiaverveer) February 19, 2016

In video

What they are saying

“Complete wheels are very rare. This is the first complete wheel from the UK. There are fragments of other wheels. So this puts us in the same context as our European colleagues.” – Mark Knight, Cambridge University archaeologist at the Must Farm dig.

“The existence of this wheel expands our understanding of late Bronze Age technology and the level of sophistication of the lives of people living on the edge of the Fens 3,000 years ago.” – Historic England Chief Executive Duncan Wilson.