Boxgrove Palaeolithic Site

Earliest Known Remains of Hominids in Britain

Fairweather Eden follows the excavations at a gravel quarry near Boxgrove, West Sussex.

From their beginnings as a study into the geology and stratigraphy of the raised beaches in

Sussex to the later exciting finds of the earliest hominid remains in Britain.

The book strikes the rare balance of being wonderfully accessible and yet presenting all

of the key elements necessary to understand the relevance of the work on the site. By

cleverly interspersing historical information regarding the founding of prehistoric

archaeology amongst the contemporary findings, the authors allow readers to enjoy the text

without needing a grounding in palaeolithic studies.

Mark Roberts began his studies at the Boxgrove site in 1982; the original goal was to

gather information regarding the stratigraphy of the raised beaches. It soon became apparent

that the quarry had far more to offer than gravel and silt.

Ancient animal remains began to reveal themselves along with handaxes and other examples

of worked flint. Then in 1993, just when the dig was drawing to a close, a volunteer named

Roger Pederson uncovered the tibia of an early hominid. It has been estimated that this

individual stood more than 1.8 metres tall and weighed over 85 kilos. Due to the size of the

bone it is very likely that it belonged to a male.

Using various methods the site has been dated to between 524,000 and 478,000 years ago,

the warm period immediately predating the Anglian glaciation. One of these methods, the

‘Vole Clock’, has provided key evidence for this date. As water voles have evolved changes

to their teeth give indications of their age. Very early voles’ teeth have roots however,

these were later replaced by continually growing teeth with no roots. Remains of voles at

Boxgrove place the site at around 500,000 years ago. Oxygen isotope tests have confirmed

this.

The tibia was not the only hominid remains found at Boxgrove. In 1995 two teeth were

discovered about a metre below the level of the shinbone. Signs of wear on the teeth show

that they sat together in the jaw. They are scored with lines indicating that the owner used

their jaw as a vice whilst using a flint tool occasionally missing and scoring the

teeth.

A great deal of stone tools have been found at Boxgrove and an indication of how well

preserved the ancient land surface is comes from these tools. Many flint fragments lie

together in piles just as they did when first struck from the raw material. Excitingly,

these fragments were found with the butchered remains of a horse. In particular, a scapula

scored with signs of skinning also has evidence of a puncture wound that has been suggested

as the entry site of wooden spear.

So much material has been recovered from Boxgrove that it is impossible to detail it all

here, let alone the interpretation of those finds. The best way to learn about it and to

introduce yourself to prehistoric archaeology in general is to read the book.

The Boxgrove Project is the official site and offers more information.