Ancient Thetford finds to go on display

20 November 2009

SOME of Norfolk's oldest archaeological finds have returned to the county and will go on display in Thetford early next year.

Two Late Middle Palaeolithic flint handaxes around 60,000 years old from Lynford, near Thetford, have returned to Norfolk after several years in Northamptonshire where they have been undergoing detailed study.

Excavations in a gravel quarry at Lynford in 2002 by NAU Archaeology, formerly the Norfolk Archaeology Unit, recovered evidence of an ancient river channel, beside which early humans were making and reworking flint tools.

These were being used for hunting or to scavenge meat from the carcasses of at least nine woolly mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, reindeer, horse and bison.

More than 1,000 worked flints were found, including 50 handaxes, and several thousand bones, some of which have been gnawed by scavenging hyenas.

County archaeologist, David Gurney, said the site was one of the most important prehistoric sites discovered and excavated to date.

“With a date around 60,000 years ago, this site represents the earliest recorded appearance of Neanderthals in this area,” he said.

“Once again, Norfolk is at the forefront of research into this very exciting period.”

The finds will on display at a new Moving Stories, Making Thetford Home exhibition at Thetford Museum from January 16.

There will also be a talk about the Lynford site on January 28 and family events featuring mammoth bones on February 15 and 16.