We are excited to announce a new publication from our sibling publisher Internet Archaeology. The paper details the discovery of a Paleolithic Giant handaxe from excavations undertaken in Kent:
Giant handaxes are enormous examples of lithic cutting tools found in Britain and elsewhere. The example discussed here possibly represents the third largest handaxe found anywhere in Britain. This data paper includes detailed information as to the context of discovery and dimensions of the artefact, as well as images and a 3d model of the handaxe.
Read the paper here on the Internet Archaeology website: https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.61.6
Ingrey, L., Duffy, SM., Bates, M., Shaw, A. and Pope, M. 2023 On the Discovery of a Late Acheulean ‘Giant’ Handaxe from the Maritime Academy, Frindsbury, Kent, Internet Archaeology 61. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.61.6
Abstract: This paper will present initial results from excavations at Maritime Academy, Frindsbury which produced several handaxes, two of which can be classed as ‘giant handaxes’. Artefacts were recovered from fluvial deposits in the Medway Valley and are thought to date from the Marine Isotope Stage 9 interglacial. This paper will focus on the largest of these handaxes and will present metrical data for the artefact and initial comparison with similar artefacts from the British Palaeolithic.
This publication has been covered in a number of news outlets including the Guardian and BBC News.
Related ADS held archives
The ADS holds a number of archives that relates to Palaeolithic lithics found across the UK and may be of interest to readers of this article.
- Gilbert Marshall, David Dupplaw, Derek Roe, Clive Gamble (2002) Lower Palaeolithic technology, raw material and population ecology (bifaces) [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1000354 The database, which includes images and measurements, was designed to examine Lower Palaeolithic technology and raw material. The time range covered is from 1.5Myr to 300Kyr and includes material from Africa, Europe and the Near East. The database contains 10668 digitised images of 3556 bifaces, as well as information on provenience, raw material and standard measurements.
- Wessex Archaeology, Roger M. Jacobi (2014) Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Lithic Artefact (PaMELA) database [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1028201 The PaMELA database details the evidence from the regional synthesis of sites compiled for the CBA monograph published in the 1970s and 80s, and builds upon the work of Jacobi as he visited museums and private collections across the country, in effect maintaining and extending the card index begun for the CBA Gazetteer.
- Lorraine Mepham (2009) TERPS – The English Rivers Project [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1000063 This database provides the card index of John Wymer, which details every known Lower and Middle Palaeolithic artefact from Britain. These formed the basis of first the Southern Rivers Palaeolithic Project and then the English Rivers Palaeolithic Project (TERPS), the results of which were published in 1999 as The Lower Palaeolithic Occupation of Britain.
- Lorraine Mepham (2008) The J J Wymer Archive [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1000062 This archive presents eight field notebooks of John Wymer, one of the leading experts on the Palaeolithic period. The notebooks cover the period from 1949 to 2004 and contain detailed handwritten notes of site visits and artefacts, both in the UK and elsewhere, including lengthy visits to South Africa. The notebooks contain hand drawings (sketch maps and section drawings) and photographs.
