The Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Periods in Britain Routledge Library Editions: Archaeology Series

This book deals with the earliest period of human settlement in Britain, proposing a series of archaeological stages for the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic periods. An introduction on the problems and methods of studying the Palaeolithic and Pleistocene periods leads into the technical argument, a sequence of development derived from evidence of stone artefacts and other signs of human activity at stratified sites in south-east England. Materials from all occupied parts of Britain are related to this basic sequence and, stressing that Britain lay on the edge of the Palaeolithic world, the author also brings in essential evidence from Europe and farther afield. The final chapter suggests the probable way of life of human groups in this period. This broad survey synthesises material from widely scattered sources including museums from all over Britain and has an extensive bibliography. Originally published in 1981.

Preface 1. Background to the Study of the Old Stone Age in Britain 2. The Pleistocene Background 3. The Search for a Basic Lower Palaeolithic Sequence 4. Expanding the Basic Sequence 5. More Sites, and the Question of Variation 6. The Middle Palaeolithic 7. Towards the Archaeology of the Period: Some Conclusions, Interpretations and Speculations