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The Clactonian elephant butchery site at Southfleet Road, Ebbsfleet, UK

The Clactonian elephant butchery site at Southfleet Road, Ebbsfleet, UK
The Clactonian elephant butchery site at Southfleet Road, Ebbsfleet, UK
Archaeological excavations at Southfleet Road, Ebbsfleet, Kent have revealed a complex sequence of fossiliferous Middle Pleistocene sediments containing lithic artefacts. An incomplete skeleton of straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus was found in lacustrine sediments in close association with a cluster of mint condition cores, flakes and notched flake-tools, some with evidence of use-damage. These finds appear to reflect in situ tool production and butchery of the elephant carcass. A far larger concentration of similar artefacts, again in mint condition, occurred nearby in the same horizon. These finds were overlain by a fluvial gravel containing abundant handaxes, some also in mint condition. A range of fossils, including pollen, molluscs and small vertebrates, indicates temperate conditions with local woodland coeval with the elephant butchery. The sediments appear to have formed during the early part of an interglacial, almost certainly MIS 11. As well as providing rare undisturbed evidence of human behaviour, the site supports existence of a distinctive non-handaxe Clactonian core/flake-tool industry in southeast England at this period.
lower palaeolithic, clactonian, swanscombe, hoxnian, MIS 11, middle pleistocene, elephant butchery, early human hunting/scavenging
0267-8179
471-483
Wenban-Smith, F.F.
d2cdf06f-ff1d-41f7-a57c-a9c8e25a2110
Allen, P.
954f0195-4fae-47d8-8319-ef205e0581c4
Bates, M.R.
f10599cd-fc06-4adb-864e-7c5bb0e9bcb7
Parfitt, S.A
c74a4c5a-7a1b-4a75-bdf0-d6d05a60f3b9
Preece, R.C.
256109dc-ce84-470e-8484-79dae134ab00
Stewart, J.R
55400512-aafb-48e4-9590-8e1c8e1bdeff
Turner, C.
a96a4be9-f3c1-4c97-9f3c-9d448596d5f8
Whittaker, J.E.
7dbab406-26aa-4173-be83-80eb1e884fb0
Wenban-Smith, F.F.
d2cdf06f-ff1d-41f7-a57c-a9c8e25a2110
Allen, P.
954f0195-4fae-47d8-8319-ef205e0581c4
Bates, M.R.
f10599cd-fc06-4adb-864e-7c5bb0e9bcb7
Parfitt, S.A
c74a4c5a-7a1b-4a75-bdf0-d6d05a60f3b9
Preece, R.C.
256109dc-ce84-470e-8484-79dae134ab00
Stewart, J.R
55400512-aafb-48e4-9590-8e1c8e1bdeff
Turner, C.
a96a4be9-f3c1-4c97-9f3c-9d448596d5f8
Whittaker, J.E.
7dbab406-26aa-4173-be83-80eb1e884fb0

Wenban-Smith, F.F., Allen, P., Bates, M.R., Parfitt, S.A, Preece, R.C., Stewart, J.R, Turner, C. and Whittaker, J.E. (2006) The Clactonian elephant butchery site at Southfleet Road, Ebbsfleet, UK. Journal of Quaternary Science, 21 (5), 471-483. (doi:10.1002/jqs.1033).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Archaeological excavations at Southfleet Road, Ebbsfleet, Kent have revealed a complex sequence of fossiliferous Middle Pleistocene sediments containing lithic artefacts. An incomplete skeleton of straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus was found in lacustrine sediments in close association with a cluster of mint condition cores, flakes and notched flake-tools, some with evidence of use-damage. These finds appear to reflect in situ tool production and butchery of the elephant carcass. A far larger concentration of similar artefacts, again in mint condition, occurred nearby in the same horizon. These finds were overlain by a fluvial gravel containing abundant handaxes, some also in mint condition. A range of fossils, including pollen, molluscs and small vertebrates, indicates temperate conditions with local woodland coeval with the elephant butchery. The sediments appear to have formed during the early part of an interglacial, almost certainly MIS 11. As well as providing rare undisturbed evidence of human behaviour, the site supports existence of a distinctive non-handaxe Clactonian core/flake-tool industry in southeast England at this period.

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Published date: July 2006
Keywords: lower palaeolithic, clactonian, swanscombe, hoxnian, MIS 11, middle pleistocene, elephant butchery, early human hunting/scavenging

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 41372
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/41372
ISSN: 0267-8179
PURE UUID: 9c19b89e-391b-4876-81e7-b722270bac62

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 29 Aug 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 08:28

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Contributors

Author: P. Allen
Author: M.R. Bates
Author: S.A Parfitt
Author: R.C. Preece
Author: J.R Stewart
Author: C. Turner
Author: J.E. Whittaker

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