The earliest record of human activity in northern Europe

Simon A. Parfitt, René W. Barendregt, Marzia Breda, Ian Candy, Matthew J. Collins, G. Russell Coope, Paul Durbidge, Mike H. Field, Jonathan R. Lee, Adrian M. Lister, Robert Mutch, Kirsty E. H. Penkman, Richard C. Preece, James Rose, Christopher B. Stringer, Robert Symmons, John E. Whittaker, John J. Wymer and Anthony J. Stuart ()
Additional contact information
Simon A. Parfitt: University College London
René W. Barendregt: University of Lethbridge
Marzia Breda: University of Padova
Ian Candy: Loughborough University
Matthew J. Collins: University of York
G. Russell Coope: University of London
Paul Durbidge: Lowestoft Museum, Oulton Broad
Mike H. Field: Church Cottage
Jonathan R. Lee: University of London
Adrian M. Lister: University College London
Robert Mutch: Lowestoft Museum, Oulton Broad
Kirsty E. H. Penkman: University of York
Richard C. Preece: University of Cambridge
James Rose: University of London
Christopher B. Stringer: The Natural History Museum
Robert Symmons: The Natural History Museum
John E. Whittaker: The Natural History Museum
Anthony J. Stuart: University College London

Nature, 2005, vol. 438, issue 7070, 1008-1012

Abstract: Written in stone A collection of stone tools from East Anglia has been dated at around 700,000 years old, making them the the earliest signs of human activity in northern Europe by about 200,000 years. Humans were present in sunnier southern Europe before 750,000 years ago, but until now there were no traces of human activity north of the Alps before half a million years ago. The flint artefacts found at Pakefield, near Lowestoft, extend human activity in Britain and the entire northern European landmass back to an antiquity we're more used to from southern Europe. The tools are from the well known Cromer Forest-bed Formation, which has yielded Ice Age fossils for over a century. But this find was notable as the 32 worked flints, including the scraper shown on the cover, were in a clearly datable stratigraphic context. Go to tinyurl.com/d2zko for video clips of the press conference announcing this discovery.

Date: 2005
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DOI: 10.1038/nature04227

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