🧐 Ancient Beat #68: Hidden dolmens, "giant" prehistoric axes, and pushing back the date of that delicious baked-bread smell
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A whopping 800 stone artifacts from 300,000 years ago were discovered in the sediment of a filled sinkhole and river channel in Kent, England. Two large flint hand axes have now been identified as some of the largest stone tools from the Paleolithic period ever found in Britain. The largest measures roughly a foot long and according to Letty Ingrey, “These handaxes are so big that it’s difficult to imagine how they could have been easily held and used. Perhaps they fulfilled a less practical or more symbolic function than other tools, a clear demonstration of strength and skill.” Neanderthals were just showing up in Britain at this time, so this may have belonged to them. But they would have shared the land with other species of humans so that’s not certain. The team also found a Roman cemetery from the 1st-4th centuries CE nearby, with the remains of 25 individuals and grave goods.
🧐 Ancient Beat #68: Hidden dolmens, "giant" prehistoric axes, and pushing back the date of that delicious baked-bread smell
🧐 Ancient Beat #68: Hidden dolmens, "giant…
🧐 Ancient Beat #68: Hidden dolmens, "giant" prehistoric axes, and pushing back the date of that delicious baked-bread smell
A whopping 800 stone artifacts from 300,000 years ago were discovered in the sediment of a filled sinkhole and river channel in Kent, England. Two large flint hand axes have now been identified as some of the largest stone tools from the Paleolithic period ever found in Britain. The largest measures roughly a foot long and according to Letty Ingrey, “These handaxes are so big that it’s difficult to imagine how they could have been easily held and used. Perhaps they fulfilled a less practical or more symbolic function than other tools, a clear demonstration of strength and skill.” Neanderthals were just showing up in Britain at this time, so this may have belonged to them. But they would have shared the land with other species of humans so that’s not certain. The team also found a Roman cemetery from the 1st-4th centuries CE nearby, with the remains of 25 individuals and grave goods.