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.
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In spring 2002 mammoth bones and associated Mousterian stone tools were found in situ at Lynford Quarry, Norfolk, UK. 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.
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Contributors Figures Tables Acknowledgements Illustration credits Summary Résumé Zusammenfassung 1. The Lynford Middle Paleolithic site 2. Stratigraphy, Association B and dating 3. Environmental evidence 4. Deposit and assemblage formation 5. The archeological assemblages of animals and lithics 6. The Lynford Neanderthals Appendices Glossary References Index
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This is an edited monograph of significant importance ... Neanderthals Among Mammoths certainly earns a place on the bookshelves of any student of the Palaeolithic and sets a high benchmark against which publications of this nature will be measured for some time to come.
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This series is published in partnership with Historic England.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781848020634
Publisert
2012-03-14
Utgiver
Vendor
Historic England
Vekt
1950 gr
Høyde
276 mm
Bredde
219 mm
Aldersnivå
00, G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
549