AN ANCIENT burial site of international archaeological importance has been found in a field near Clanfield.
Amateur archaeologist Peter Beasley, from Waterlooville, has made many archaeological finds in the area since he began exploring with a metal detector in 1976. But this, he believes, is by far the most important.
The discovery began when he found a shield boss which was approximately 1,400 years old. He was convinced there was more to find in the vicinity and went on to find spears, the skeleton of a young woman from the 5th or 6th century and, nearby, a warrior from about the same Saxon or Jute period.
The skeletons have been reburied, but the spears and shield boss are on show in Winchester Museum.
An airborne infra-red survey of the site has now been carried out and it has been estimated that there could be 3,000 graves in the 15-acre site.
However, Mr Beasley told The Herald: "I regard this as a conservative estimate because I feel the site could have been in use for a long period and contains more graves than have currently been identified."
The location of the site has not been revealed as both the landowner and Mr Beasley are concerned about its security.
Excavating the site could take two years and it is estimated that this could cost about £2 million
The landowner and Mr Beasley are currently in consultation with English Heritage, the University of Bristol's archaeology department and financial institutions on the organisation of a dig and its funding.