THE prolonged period of dry weather has unearthed prehistoric farms and enclosures on Somerset soil.

Mysterious Neolithic ceremonial monuments, Iron Age settlements, square barrows and a Roman farm are among the new discoveries by Historic England's flying archaeologist who have been surveying the parched landscape in the wake of the summer heatwave.

HE's archaeologist have been observing the land from the skies looking for patterns in crops and grass that reveal thousands of years of buried English history.

The dry soil exposes the layout of buried ditches and walls that once defined settlements, field boundaries and funerary monuments.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “This spell of very hot weather has provided the perfect conditions for our aerial archaeologists to ‘see beneath the soil’ as cropmarks are much better defined when the soil has less moisture. The discovery of ancient farms, settlements and Neolithic cursus monuments is exciting. The exceptional weather has opened up whole areas at once rather than just one or two fields and it has been fascinating to see so many traces of our past graphically revealed.”

In Somerset, four sites of prehistoric farms were found in Stogumber, and a prehistoric enclosure was spotted in Churchstanton.

HE says the sites are typical examples of Bronze Age or Iron Age farms found in Somerset.

An oval feature can be seen in the soil, which at some point was abandoned and replaced with a rectangular settlement enclosure built on top.

In Churchstanton, the enclosure is defined by a thin ditch with an entrance. Historic England plans to further survey this area in order to find out more about its importance to the county.

Helen Winton, Historic England aerial investigation and mapping manager said: “This is the first potential bumper year in what feels like a long time. It is very exciting to have hot weather for this long. 2011 was the last time we had an exceptional year when we discovered over 1,500 sites, with most on the claylands of eastern England.”

Other discoveries have been made elsewhere in the country, including a Roman farm in Bicton, Devon and Iron Age Rounds in Cornwall.

Historic England uses aerial photography of cropmarks to produce archaeological maps which help to determine the significance of buried remains. This can help when making decisions about protecting them from future development or damage caused by ploughing.

Damian Grady, Historic England aerial reconnaissance manager said: “This has been one of my busiest summers in 20 years of flying and it is has been very rewarding making discoveries in areas that do not normally reveal cropmarks.”