Bronze Age men were buried with their "beer mugs" 4,000 years ago

London, March 18 : Archaeologists have unearthed a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age skeleton in Kent, England, with a pottery vessel placed at its feet, that could have been a type of beer mug.

The skeleton was found in a "crouched" position typical of the period, with knees drawn up to the chest.

According to a report in BBC News, Canterbury Archaeological Trust said that the curled-up skeleton was an example of a "Beaker" burial because of the pottery vessel placed at its feet.

Education officer Marion Green suggested that the "beautifully decorated" pot could have been "a type of beer mug".

Green said that tests on beakers from other sites suggested that Bronze Age man was brewing a type of beer from grain.

"Possibly ceremonial objects were found buried with the individual, who could have been a high-status male," said Green.

The bones were found in a small grave at the centre of a double ring ditch, made out of two circles.

According to Green, soil would have been built up to form a burial mound, known to archaeologists as a "barrow".

The bones, which are expected to end up on display, have been removed for tests to confirm the skeleton's age and gender, and any disease or injury.

ANI