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Abstract
The colonization of Eurasia by early humans is a key event after their spread out of Africa, but the nature, timing and ecological context of the earliest human occupation of northwest Europe is uncertain and has been the subject of intense debate (Dennell 2003). The southern Caucasus was occupied about 1.8 million years (Myr) ago (Gabunia 2000), whereas human remains from Atapuerca-TD6, Spain (more than 780 kyr ago) (Carbonell et al. 1995) and Ceprano, Italy (about 800 kyr ago) (Manzi 2004) show that early Homo had dispersed to the Mediterranean hinterland before the Brunhes–Matuyama magnetic polarity reversal (780 kyr ago). Until now, the earliest uncontested artefacts from northern Europe were much younger, suggesting that humans were unable to colonize northern latitudes until about 500 kyr ago (Gamble 1999; Dennell & Roebroeks 1996). Here we report flint artefacts from the Cromer Forest-bed Formation at Pakefield (52°N), Suffolk, UK, from an interglacial sequence yielding a diverse range of plant and animal fossils. Event and lithostratigraphy, palaeomagnetism, amino acid geochronology and biostratigraphy indicate that the artefacts date to the early part of the Brunhes Chron (about 700 kyr ago) and thus represent the earliest unequivocal evidence for human presence north of the Alps.
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References
Bibliographical reference
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, « The earliest record of human activity in northern Europe », ERAUL, 117 | 2006, 15-20.
Electronic reference
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, « The earliest record of human activity in northern Europe », ERAUL [Online], 117 | 2006, Online since 16 January 2025, connection on 19 May 2026. URL : https://popups.uliege.be/3041-5527/index.php?id=1964
Authors
Simon A. Parfitt
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London WC1H 0PY, UK
Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
René W. Barendregt
University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta TK1 3M4, Canada
Marzia Breda
Dipartimento di Geologia, Paleontologia e Geofisica, University of Padova, Via Giotto 1, I-35100 Padova
Ian Candy
Department of Geography, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK
Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
Matthew J. Collins
BioArch, Biology S Block, University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
G. Russell Coope
Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
Department of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Paul Durbidge
Lowestoft Museum, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9JR, UK
Mike H. Field
Church Cottage, Church Street, Fenny Compton, Warwickshire CV47 2YE, UK
Jonathan R. Lee
Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK
Adrian M. Lister
Department of Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Robert Mutch
Lowestoft Museum, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9JR, UK
Kirsty E. H. Penkman
BioArch, Biology S Block, University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
Richard C. Preece
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
James Rose
Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
Christopher B. Stringer
Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
Robert Symmons
Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
John E. Whittaker
Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
John J. Wymer
17 Duke Street, Bildeston, Ipswich IP7 7EW, UK
Anthony J. Stuart
Department of Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
University of Durham School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
