Monument record HRK 006 - Edge of River Stour, Harkstead, (Palaeolithic)

Please read our guidance about the use of Suffolk Historic Environment Record data.

Summary

A low, circa 5m high, cliff faces the Stour estuary along Harkstead shore, where faunal remains and a few palaeoliths have been found in the cliffs or on the foreshore (S1).

Location

Grid reference	Centred TM 1915 3332 (268m by 183m) Centred on
Map sheet	TM13SE
Civil Parish	HARKSTEAD, BABERGH, SUFFOLK

Map

Find a placename, postcode or grid reference

Map layers

Base layers

Info

Record list

Tools

Type and Period (1)

SITE (MIS13 to Late Middle Paleolithic - 531000 BC? to 42000 BC?)

Full Description

A low, circa 5m high, cliff faces the Stour estuary along Harkstead shore, where faunal remains and a few palaeoliths have been found in the cliffs or on the foreshore (S1).

Faunal remains include:- elephant, horse, red deer, giant ox or bison, mammoth, rhinoceros and vole. Pal artefacts include:- 7 broken or complete hand-axes, 4 flakes, 1 levallois core and 1 levallois side scraper (S1-S4). Most are rolled and stained and probably derive from gravel deposit, although one unstained hand-axe was found in 'gravel below peat' on 4/8/1945 by Commander Todd (S3), and the scraper was in sharp condition and probably derives from the brick earth above the gravel, as do some, if not all, of the faunal remains (S1).

1945: Handaxe found
Pre 1970: visits by Spencer, Fauna, Flakes Handaxes
1975: Handaxe found
1979: Visit by Wymer, Handaxes and a flake
Pre 1950: (Death of Todd), Todd Collection, Handaxes, Levallois core, (S1-S6).

Sources/Archives (7)

<S1> SSF50084 Bibliographic reference: Wymer, J.J.. 1985. Palaeolithic Sites of East Anglia. 236-237.
<S2> SSF50032 Index: OS. OS Card. OS, card TM13SE16.
<S3> SSF50070 Index: Ipswich Museum. IPSMG card. IPSMG, card Harkstead Palaeolithic.
<S4> SSF50070 Index: Ipswich Museum. IPSMG card. IPSMG, card 961-89.
<|S5> SSF59351 Digital archive: Wymer, J.J.. 1999. The Lower Palaeolithic Occupation of Britain (TERPs) The Lower Palaeolithic Occupation of Britain (TERPS). 22826.
<S6> SSF56043 Article in serial: Owles, E. J.. 1975. Archaeology in Suffolk, 1975. XXXIII.3, pp. 322–328..
<S7> SSF59794 Digital archive: Historic England. National Record Of the Historic Environment.

Finds (7)

FSF2240: FLAKE (Palaeolithic - 1000000 BC? to 9400 BC?)
FSF2241: ANIMAL REMAINS (Pleistocene General - 2578000 BC? to 9700 BC?)
FSF50456: POINTED HANDAXE (Acheulean - 531000 BC? to 298000 BC?)
FSF50457: OVATE HANDAXE (Acheulean - 531000 BC? to 298000 BC?)
FSF50458: LEVALLOIS CORE (Early Middle Palaeolithic - 323000 BC? to 178000 BC?)
FSF50459: RETOUCHED FLAKE (Palaeolithic - 1000000 BC? to 9400 BC?)
FSF50460: HANDAXE (MIS13 to Late Middle Paleolithic - 531000 BC? to 42000 BC?)