Ronaldsway Mesolithic Site

MAJOR PREHISTORIC SITE at Ronaldsway (now IoM Airport). When the runway was built in the 1940s, workers discovered one of IoM's most important prehistoric sites. The 'Ronaldsway culture' is named after this site — a Late Neolithic pottery tradition unique to IoM (~3000-2000 BC). But the area also has MESOLITHIC material from the earliest hunter-gatherers. WHY: The flat coastal plain at Ronaldsway attracted humans for 6,000+ years. The airport construction destroyed much but not all — surrounding fields still produce material. This is a TYPE SITE in British archaeology — the Ronaldsway culture is named after it. The flat sandy soil preserves flint and pottery exceptionally well. Adjacent farmland that wasn't developed for the airport is prime detecting territory.