Stockbridge, Hampshire: Lower Paleolithic in S/E-England

Lower Palaeolithic hand axe of ficron type (500 – 300 ka BP).with a long tapering point. The object has been expertly worked on all surfaces. The general shape of the object is typical of handaxes of the period, and examples are known locally. The butt end of the axe has a large smooth notch, possibly the result of the naturally occurring shape of the flint nodule from which the object has been worked but may well have been deliberate. A similar example is known from Cuxton in Kent. The axe has developed a varied and mottled patina ranging from buff to grey to pink-beige. There appears to be some recent damaged to one of the edges, however this remains an excellent, complete example of this type of Palaeolithic hand axe.

The archaeology of Britain during the early Middle Pleistocene (MIS 19–12) is represented by a number of sites in S / E- England. These sites include Pakefield (700 ka BP; MIS 17or late MIS 19) Happisburgh (later than Pakefield; perhaps attributable to MIS 16 or 15), High Lodge (MIS 13), Warren Hill (MIS 13), Boxgrove (500 ka BP; MIS 13) and others. Environmental data show, that our ancestors coped both with Mediterranean-type climate (Pakefield) and temperate and cool temperate climates with mosaic habitats (Happisburgh) as well.

Handaxes may be present even at the earliest sites (Happisburgh), a distinctive core and flake (Pakefield) and flake tool (High Lodge) technology has been found at other locations. The handaxe based ensemble from Boxgrove shows that bifaces are firmly established during OIS13. These bifaces that are  ovate in shape are characterized by the removal of special sharpening flakes from their tip. Access to abundant fine-grained flint, the use of soft hammers and careful, competent workmanship by the Boxgrove hominids have combined to make Boxgrove bifaces some of the finest examples in the world. The Boxgrove bifaces appear to have been primarily used in the butchery of large mammals.

Suggested Reading:

http://www.ahobproject.org/Downloads/Parfitt_et_al_2005.pdf

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v466/n7303/full/nature09117.html

http://www.ahobproject.org/