Wenban-Smith, F. F., ed. (2001). Palaeolithic archaeology of the Solent River:. 38--56 Orsman Road: Lithic Studies Society.

presents an overview of Palaeolithic studies in relation to the Solent region

the author describes the Solent system of Middle Pleistocene river terraces which now form the hinterland to the south coast, many of which contain Lower Palaeolithic artefacts, although these are absent from the older terraces pre-dating human occupation, and from the lowest terraces and valley-floor gravels contemporaneous with the disappearance of humans from Britain prior to the last interglacial. Only the last two interglacials are directly represented within the sedimentological sequences of the Solent and its tributaries, and the author proposes the use of other evidence to assess the ages of the higher terraces, including age indications provided by Palaeolithic archaeology. The paper explains that the first appearance of artefacts is thought likely to be around 600,000 years ago; then twisted ovates are prevalent in assemblages from OIS 11, suggesting that the Old Milton Gravel incorporates material of that age; and finally Levallois technique appears in the Taddiford Farm Gravel, thought by analogy with the Thames to date from around the OIS 9/8 transition. The Solent has more Middle Pleistocene terraces than other UK rivers, perhaps because rejuvenation has taken place twice during each climatic cycle. The author argues that the age indications from the archaeological data enable some attempt at modelling the formation of the terraces in response to both climate change and background uplift, although the results remain speculative

the author explains that, over thirty years previously, he listed many Lower Palaeolithic find-spots in the area of the Solent gravels and the lower reaches of the river valleys which drain to the Solent, on the basis of artefacts surviving in museum collections and/or recorded in the literature up to about 1965. Amongst the large quantity of material encountered was some that, at the time, seemed of more than average interest. Even though many of the finds were made a very long while ago, it is argued that their potential significance may have increased rather than diminished, in the light of changes to our knowledge of the British Pleistocene and Palaeolithic that have taken place since then. If there is to be a new surge of interest in the Pleistocene deposits of the Solent region, it seems desirable that these finds should not be forgotten, in case opportunities occur to re-examine any of the find-spots and gain more information about them

Palaeolithic implements were first found on the shore at Priory Bay on the northeast coast of the Isle of Wight in the late-nineteenth century. Since then, more than 500 handaxes have been recovered by local collectors, and material has been found in situ in gravel at the top of the cliff, but the site has (at the time of writing) yet to be properly investigated

the author explains that the Lower Palaeolithic archaeological record of the Solent Basin is dominated by secondary context lithic assemblages, which are frequently associated with river terrace gravel deposits. Interpretation of this archaeology has been hindered by both the spatial and chronological imprecision of the assemblages, and it has subsequently been argued that the behavioural information contained within these `sites' is extremely limited. The paper adopts a more optimistic stance, presenting an analytical methodology and interpretation of the geological processes by which these `sites' were formed, with particular emphasis upon artefact transportation and deposition and the chronological affinities of heterogeneous, derived lithic assemblages. Examples are presented for the sites of Wood Green and Dunbridge in the valleys of the Rivers Avon and Test. In conclusion, interpretative frameworks are presented that address research questions relevant to the structure of the archaeological record in the Solent (characterised by regional spatial scales and OIS cycles). Particular attention is paid to repetitive patterns of landscape exploitation and the potential of the data to the study of hominid demography