One of the oldest wooden discoveries was a 400,000-year-old spear in prehistoric sands at Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, in 1911. Unless it is preserved in very specific conditions, wood simply rots away.

The discovery of an impeccably preserved Celtic burial chamber in southern Germany is a "stroke of luck for archaeology," ...

The spade's design, with a slightly lopsided blade allowing one-footed use, is reminiscent of later peat-cutting tools.