England's Historic Seascapes: Southwold to Clacton
Oxford Archaeology (South), 2007. https://doi.org/10.5284/1000277. How to cite using this DOI
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Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 746
- ALSF Project Number: 4729
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000277
- How to cite using this DOI
England's Historic Seascapes:
Southwold to Clacton
ALSF Project Number 4729
Oxford Archaeology, 2007
Clacton Area
- Clacton Area
- 'Clactonian'
- Clacton
- Frinton-on-Sea
- Jaywick
- Martello Tower
- The Lyonesse Surface
- Walton-on-the-Naze
'Clactonian'
The Clactonian is the name given by archaeologists to an industry or tradition of flint tool manufacture which dating from 300,000-200,000 years ago. It is named after finds made by Samuel Hazzledean Warren in a palaeochannel at Clacton-on-Sea in 1911. The Clactonian industry is characterised by thick, irregular flakes struck from a core of flint which was then employed as a chopper. The flakes would have been used as crude knives or scrapers and some were notched, implying that they were attached to a handle or shaft. Further examples of the tools have been found at sites including Barnfield Pit near Swanscombe in Kent and Barnham in Suffolk and similar industries have been identified across Northern Europe. Clactonian tools were made by homo erectus rather than modern humans.
The Clactonian industry may have co-existed with the Acheulean industry, which used identical basic techniques but which also included the making of handaxes. During the 1990s it was argued that Clactonian assemblages may not have been a distinct industry, but may have been the product of Acheulean tool makers who simply did not require handaxes on the occasions that these tools were made. However, the 2004 excavation of a butchered elephant at the Southfleet Road site in Kent recovered numerous Clactonian flint tools but no handaxes. As a handaxe would have been more useful than a chopper in dismembering an elephant carcass it is considered strong evidence of the Clactonian being a separate industry.
