FRAGMENTS of ancient history have come to light in an archaeological dig on Teesside.

A medieval cow bone, pottery and an early 20th Century painted metal advertising sign for Pratt's Perfection Spirit were among the items unearthed during the week-long excavation on Hartlepool Headland. Tees Archaeology carried out the dig on the grassed area opposite the Borough Buildings, before the start of a major project later this year to create a town square and landscaped area.

Rachel Grahame, project officer for Tees Archaeology, said: "The dig has been very useful.

"We had feared that any traces of the medieval town might well have been destroyed by later 19th Century building work and subsequent demolition, but we are delighted that aspects of the medieval archaeology do still survive.

"In one of the three trenches we dug, we found the corner of a medieval stone building and there was also lots of sand and shells so, interestingly, it looks as though in medieval times they were building on what were practically sand dunes."

She said she believed those buildings were used for trade or industry, given their proximity to the sea, and the pottery could have been part of a mould or connected with a kiln.

The cow bone was probably from an animal slaughtered for food.

Councillor Edna Wright, board member of the North Hartlepool Partnership, said: "One of the attractions of the Headland is that it is steeped in history, both recent and ancient, so I am very pleased that the dig has revealed some fascinating traces of how our ancestors lived."

The dig was funded by the North Hartlepool Partnership, which is using money from regional development agency One NorthEast to revitalise the Headland.