Archaeologists have uncovered an Iron Age settlement near Cheltenham.
The dig, at Deans Farm, Bishops Cleeve, has revealed two round houses, two burial sites and a large number of animal bones.
Experts from Birmingham believe it was the site of a farming community in 500 BC which continued through Roman occupation and beyond.
The area, said to be the size of four football pitches, will eventually become a new housing estate.
Team leader Kevin Coles said: "Effectively, we've got a prehistoric settlement site, starting off from the mid Iron Age progressing through to the invasion of the Romans, 43 AD.
"We're finding a large amount of animal bones so that suggests what these people were eating.
"We've got also got dating evidence in terms of pottery."
The finds are being bagged and sent off for further analysis. Once the team has finished its investigations, Bovis Homes will begin developing the site.