The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Neanderthals Among Mammoths: Excavations at Lynford Quarry, Norfolk UK

Neanderthals Among Mammoths: Excavations at Lynford Quarry, Norfolk UK
Neanderthals Among Mammoths: Excavations at Lynford Quarry, Norfolk UK
In spring 2002 mammoth bones and associated Mousterian stone tools were found in situ at Lynford Quarry, near Munford village, Norfolk, UK. The finds were within the organic sediments of a palaeochannel.

Excavation was undertaken with support from Ayton Asphalte, the quarry owners, and English Heritage, funded through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ASLF). These finds are a rare example of British Middle Palaeolithic tools, associated with the Neanderthal occupation of what was then a peninsula of north-west Europe. The excavation recovered exceptionally well-preserved archaeological and palaeoenvironmental information.

The association of woolly mammoth bones with bout- coupé handaxes (bifaces) and this wealth of palaeoenvironmental data provided a unique opportunity to investigate questions of diet, land use and habitat from deposits within a small geological feature. The palaeoenvironmental evidence and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating show that the site was occupied c 65–57ka, at the transition between Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 4 and 3. The plant and invertebrate remains indicate open conditions dominated by grasses, sedges and low-growing herbaceous communities, with small stands of birch or scrub, and areas of acid heath or bog, and a mild climate.

Finds included 1,365 identified bones, of which 91 per cent are woolly mammoth; and 2,720 lithic pieces, including 41 complete and 6 broken handaxes, and 20 flake tools. In addition, an associated sandstone block bears use traces made by a softer material, possibly wood, and was possibly used as a fire striker.

The Lynford finds give a rare opportunity to study the socioecology of Neanderthals and the relationship between their social structure and the distribution of resources in the landscape during the last cold stage of Ice Age Europe.
9781848020634
English Heritage
Boismier, William A.
e2ecc1fe-a38b-4767-b787-d19222e8b89d
Gamble, Clive
1cbd0b26-ddac-4dc2-9cf7-59c66d06103a
Coward, Fiona
7c02b393-83f6-4d8e-8136-cf27c20e780c
Boismier, William A.
e2ecc1fe-a38b-4767-b787-d19222e8b89d
Gamble, Clive
1cbd0b26-ddac-4dc2-9cf7-59c66d06103a
Coward, Fiona
7c02b393-83f6-4d8e-8136-cf27c20e780c

Boismier, William A., Gamble, Clive and Coward, Fiona (eds.) (2012) Neanderthals Among Mammoths: Excavations at Lynford Quarry, Norfolk UK , Swindon. English Heritage, 529pp.

Record type: Book

Abstract

In spring 2002 mammoth bones and associated Mousterian stone tools were found in situ at Lynford Quarry, near Munford village, Norfolk, UK. The finds were within the organic sediments of a palaeochannel.

Excavation was undertaken with support from Ayton Asphalte, the quarry owners, and English Heritage, funded through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ASLF). These finds are a rare example of British Middle Palaeolithic tools, associated with the Neanderthal occupation of what was then a peninsula of north-west Europe. The excavation recovered exceptionally well-preserved archaeological and palaeoenvironmental information.

The association of woolly mammoth bones with bout- coupé handaxes (bifaces) and this wealth of palaeoenvironmental data provided a unique opportunity to investigate questions of diet, land use and habitat from deposits within a small geological feature. The palaeoenvironmental evidence and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating show that the site was occupied c 65–57ka, at the transition between Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 4 and 3. The plant and invertebrate remains indicate open conditions dominated by grasses, sedges and low-growing herbaceous communities, with small stands of birch or scrub, and areas of acid heath or bog, and a mild climate.

Finds included 1,365 identified bones, of which 91 per cent are woolly mammoth; and 2,720 lithic pieces, including 41 complete and 6 broken handaxes, and 20 flake tools. In addition, an associated sandstone block bears use traces made by a softer material, possibly wood, and was possibly used as a fire striker.

The Lynford finds give a rare opportunity to study the socioecology of Neanderthals and the relationship between their social structure and the distribution of resources in the landscape during the last cold stage of Ice Age Europe.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: March 2012
Organisations: Archaeology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 336342
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/336342
ISBN: 9781848020634
PURE UUID: b28166c0-ac0d-4ad5-9049-c651e96a97ca

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 22 Mar 2012 12:02
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 10:41

Export record

Contributors

Editor: William A. Boismier
Editor: Clive Gamble
Editor: Fiona Coward

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×