Swanscombe Heritage Park
Notification 1988[1] | | |
Location map | Magic Map |
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Swanscombe Skull Site or Swanscombe Heritage Park is a 3.9-hectare (9.6-acre) geological
The area was already known for the finds of numerous
The skull fragments were found in the lower middle terrace gravels at a depth of almost 8 metres (26 ft). They were found by Alvan T. Marston, an amateur archaeologist who visited the pit between quarrying operations to search for flint tools. A third fragment from the same skull was found in 1955 by Bertram and
Further excavations, carried out between 1968 and 1972 by Dr John d'Arcy Waechter, uncovered more animal bone and flint tools and established the extent of the former shoreline on which the bones were found. Most of the bone finds are now in the Natural History Museum in London, with the stone finds at the British Museum.
The other key paleolithic sites in the UK are Happisburgh, Pakefield, Pontnewydd, Kents Cavern, Paviland and Gough's Cave.
See also
- Genetic history of the British Isles
- List of human evolution fossils
- List of prehistoric structures in Great Britain
- Prehistoric Britain
References
- ^ a b c d "Designated Sites View: Swanscombe Skull Site". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Map of Swanscombe Skull Site". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Swanscombe - Barnfield Pit (Quaternary of the Thames)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "Barnfield Pit (Pleistocene Vertebrata)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Swanscombe Skull Site". National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Swanscombe Skull Site citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ Francis Wenban-Smith, Interpretation Archived 2013-07-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 May 2008
- ^ Hendry, Lisa (15 December 2017). "First Britons". Natural History Museum. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-00-815035-8.