Mystery of the Moor

Watch TV presenter Mike Dilger as he follows the unfolding story of the internationally important discoveries made during the excavation of a prehistoric burial on Whitehorse Hill in Dartmoor National Park.

When archaeologists unearthed the contents contained within the burial cist in a remote part of Dartmoor in 2012, they had no idea they were about to find an internationally important collection of prehistoric remains.

Academics and scientists alike were fascinated by the well preserved findings from this prehistoric cremation burial which allowed them one of the best glimpses into life in Bronze Age southern England that they have ever had.

The finds included prehistoric jewellery, an animal pelt and finely worked personal possessions.  Most remarkable of all are beads made of tin – the earliest hard evidence of tin production found in the south west.

This absorbing programme highlights ground-breaking work by internationally renowned archaeologists as they get to grips with how this discovery is painting a picture of early Bronze Age society; and as a consequence, how north Dartmoor is being reconsidered as an area of prehistoric importance

Presenter Mike Dilger is on hand as scientists and craftspeople attempt to re-create objects found within the burial including; a delicate tin-studded woven bracelet and yo-yo shaped ear studs, the earliest evidence of wood turning ever discovered in the country.

Most thrilling is when Mike and the TV crew are present when conservators reveal the contents of an intricately coiled basket, unopened for 4,000 years.

And of course Mike will be trying to solve the most tantalising mystery of the moor. Who was this person that was honoured with such a burial?

This wonderful discovery reminds us that England's fragile upland peatlands preserve a wealth of evidence about the lives and landscapes of our ancestors.

Watch the Mystery of the Moor at 6.30 pm on Sunday (9 March) on BBC Two.