MSGID: 1:317/3 64a79514   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Giant stone artefacts found on rare Ice Age site in Kent, UK    
      
     Date:   
         July 6, 2023   
     Source:   
         University College London   
     Summary:   
         Researchers have discovered some of the largest early prehistoric   
         stone tools in Britain.   
      
      
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   Researchers at the UCL Institute of Archaeology have discovered some of   
   the largest early prehistoric stone tools in Britain.   
      
   The excavations, which took place in Kent and were commissioned in   
   advance of development of the Maritime Academy School in Frindsbury,   
   revealed prehistoric artefacts in deep Ice Age sediments preserved on   
   a hillside above the Medway Valley.   
      
   The researchers, from UCL Archaeology South-East, discovered 800 stone   
   artefacts thought to be over 300,000 years old, buried in sediments which   
   filled a sinkhole and ancient river channel, outlined in their research,   
   published in Internet Archaeology.   
      
   Amongst the unearthed artefacts were two extremely large flint knives   
   described as "giant handaxes." Handaxes are stone artefacts which have   
   been chipped, or "knapped," on both sides to produce a symmetrical shape   
   with a long cutting edge. Researchers believe this type of tool was   
   usually held in the hand and may have been used for butchering animals   
   and cutting meat. The two largest handaxes found at the Maritime site   
   have a distinctive shape with a long and finely worked pointed tip,   
   and a much thicker base.   
      
   Senior Archaeologist Letty Ingrey (UCL Institute of Archaeology), said:   
   "We describe these tools as 'giants' when they are over 22cm long and we   
   have two in this size range. The biggest, a colossal 29.5cm in length,   
   is one of the longest ever found in Britain. 'Giant handaxes' like this   
   are usually found in the Thames and Medway regions and date from over   
   300,000 years ago.   
      
   "These handaxes are so big it's difficult to imagine how they could have   
   been easily held and used. Perhaps they fulfilled a less practical or more   
   symbolic function than other tools, a clear demonstration of strength and   
   skill. While right now, we aren't sure why such large tools were being   
   made, or which species of early human were making them, this site offers a   
   chance to answer these exciting questions."  The site is thought to date   
   to a period in the early prehistory of Britain when Neanderthal people   
   and their cultures were beginning to emerge and may even have shared   
   the landscape with other early human species. The Medway Valley at this   
   time would have been a wild landscape of wooded hills and river valleys,   
   inhabited by red deer and horses, as well as less familiar mammals such   
   as the now-extinct straight-tusked elephant and lion.   
      
   While archaeological finds of this age, including another spectacular   
   'giant' handaxe, have been found in the Medway Valley before, this is   
   the first time they have been found as part of large-scale excavation,   
   offering the opportunity to glean more insights into the lives of   
   their makers.   
      
   Dr Matt Pope (UCL Institute of Archaeology), said: "The excavations at the   
   Maritime Academy have given us an incredibly valuable opportunity to study   
   how an entire Ice Age landscape developed over a quarter of a million   
   years ago. A programme of scientific analysis, involving specialists   
   from UCL and other UK institutions, will now help us to understand why   
   the site was important to ancient people and how the stone artefacts,   
   including the 'giant handaxes' helped them adapt to the challenges of   
   Ice Age environments."  The research team is now working on identifying   
   and studying the recovered artefacts to better understand who created   
   them and what they were used for.   
      
   Senior Archaeologist Giles Dawkes (UCL Institute of Archaeology)   
   is leading work on a second significant find from the site -- a Roman   
   cemetery, dating to at least a quarter of a million years later than the   
   Ice Age activity. The people buried here between the first and fourth   
   centuries AD could have been the inhabitants of a suspected nearby villa   
   that may have lain around 850 metres to the south.   
      
   The team found the remains of 25 individuals, 13 of which were   
   cremated. Nine of the buried individuals were found with goods   
   or personal items including bracelets, and four were interred in   
   wooden coffins. Collections of pottery and animal bones found nearby   
   likely relate to feasting rituals at the time of burial. Though Roman   
   buildings and structures have been extensively excavated, cemeteries have   
   historically been less of a focus for archaeologists and the discovery   
   of this site offers potentially new insights into the burial customs   
   and traditions of both the Romans who lived at the villa, and those in   
   the nearby town of Rochester.   
      
   Jody Murphy, Director of Education at the Thinking Schools Academy   
   Trust said: "We, at Maritime Academy and the Thinking Schools Academy   
   Trust, feel very lucky to be a part of this phenomenal discovery. We   
   take great pride in our connection to our local community and region,   
   with much of our school identity linked to the history of Medway. We   
   look forward to taking advantage of this unique opportunity to teach our   
   young people about these finds, creating a lasting legacy for those who   
   came before us."   
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   provided by University_College_London. Note: Content may be edited for   
   style and length.   
      
      
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   Related Multimedia:   
       * Enormous_handaxe_and_other_stone_artefacts   
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Letty Ingrey, Martin Bates, Sarah Duffy, Matt Pope. A New   
      Palaeolithic   
         Giant Handaxe from Britain: Initial Results from Excavations at   
         Maritime Academy, Medway, Kent. Internet Archaeology, 2023; (61)   
         DOI: 10.11141/ ia.61.6   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230706002155.htm   
      
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