A carved stone thought to date back more than 4,000 years has been discovered following a wildfire which devastated moorland, it was revealed today

The relic, unique in England and considered internationally significant by experts, was found after the blaze consumed two and a half square kilometres of heather moorland on the North York Moors at Fylingdales, near Whitby, in September last year.

English Heritage archaeologists are studying the find which was one of 2,400 features - many of them previously unknown - uncovered by the fire.

Before the blaze, only 30 scheduled ancient monuments had been designated within the affected area.

The site, which contains evidence of human occupation spanning more than four millennia, is to be designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and will be the focus of an ambitious project to restore the ecology of the moor.

Neil Redfern, an English Heritage inspector of ancient monuments, said: ''The fire had a devastating impact, but it has also revealed an astonishing archaeological landscape.

''When we stepped over the scorched terrain and reviewed aerial photographs, we were confronted by a vast number of features we had no idea existed before.

''To find such well-preserved signs of settlement and human activity over such a long period in such a small area is amazing.

''Our response has been to work closely with partners to survey the landscape, while getting on with the urgent job of protecting and conserving it.

''The success of this approach is clear to see on the ground and will serve as a template for how agencies and landowners handle similar disasters elsewhere in the country.''

A three-year project to restore the moor's dynamic range of habitats for wildlife and plants was today given a £200,000 grant from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), under a Countryside Stewardship Scheme Special Project.

The revegetation will also protect the archaeology beneath the ground, knitting together the soil and preventing erosion.

The most significant of the finds, the stone, is adorned with a carved zigzag design around a central feature, which resembles an angular hour-glass.

Experts said it is particularly important as the motifs appear to be unique among rock art of the late Neolithic/early Bronze Age, which is dominated by curvilinear cup-and-ring marks.

Instead, the designs recall those found on materials such as pottery, resemblances that open up a wealth of interpretative possibilities.

The stone has been examined, photographed and laser-scanned and has now been returned to the ground as the task of understanding its significance gets under way.

Other finds include Mesolithic flints, 185 carved rocks, old trackways, leats and waterways linked to the Alum industry (from the 17th to 19th centuries), together with slit trenches from the Second World War, when the moor was used as a military training area.