Westbury Cave: the Natural History Museum excavations 1976-1984

editors

Peter Andrews, Jill Cook, Andrew Currant and Christopher Stringer.

Archaeological headlines were made world-wide in 1975 when an ancient cave was exposed by quarrying above the village of Westbury-sub-Mendip, Somerset, UK. Stone tools were found with bones of extinct bears and other animals in the 500,000 year old deposits, making it the oldest site with evidence of human activity in Britain and one of the oldest in Europe. The Natural History Museum excavations began in 1976, a multidisciplinary project conducted by a well-known and respected team from one of Britain's premier research institutions. This is the full report on the excavation of an exceptional mid-Pleistocene site.
The Westbury Cave excavations produced an unprecedented sample of Middle Pleistocene fauna as well as more flints and chert. Detailed taphonomic research underpins the palaeoecological reconstructions, revealing an unexpectedly complex sequence of climate changes with important implications for the European Pleistocene record. A painstaking and controversial analysis of the flints concludes they are the product of natural processes, not human action, but a single cut-marked bone betrays a human presence.
Early human occupation of Britain has since been confirmed by the discoveries of Boxgrove, but Westbury remains unique for its detailed palaeoecological record. The analysis of the flints should provoke lively debate.

contributors include:

A Gentry, B Ghaleb, P Goldberg, R Grün, R MacPhail, D Schreve, W Stanton and A Turner.

For further information and to order this publication visit the publisher's website at:

http://www.waspress.co.uk/publications/

Paviland Cave and the 'Red Lady': a definitive report

editor

Stephen Aldhouse-Green

The richest Early Upper Palaeolithic site in Britain, Paviland Cave on Wales’ Gower Peninsula, was discovered in 1823 by Reverend William Buckland. He unearthed the remains of a young adult male, covered with red ochre, but the body soon became the subject of debate, not least because of its early mis-identification as the ‘Red Lady’ of Paviland. Ceremonially buried, with ivory ornaments and perforated seashells, the circumstances hint at a ritual or shamanic use of the site.
The recent re-excavation of the site, a new study of previously excavated artefacts, and a suite of radiocarbon dates, have enabled reconstruction of the phases and nature of human use of the cave. Set in the context of climatic and environmental change, this has allowed new, intriguing interpretations to be made of Paviland.
The dating evidence suggests that the Aurignacian appeared relatively late in Britain, towards 28,000 BP, and that Britain was only infrequently visited by task groups or - more controversially - pilgrims during the climatic downturn from 27,000 BP until the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum.

contributors include:

A Brookes, DQ Bowen, P Bull, D Case, N Debenham, A Eastham, T Holliday, M Ivanovich, R Jones, A Latham, DJ Lowe, R Mourne, PB Pettitt, M Richards, S Swainston, BC Sykes, E Trinkaus, A Turner, EA Walker and T Young.

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The Year of the Ghost: an Olduvai diary

author

Derek Roe

In January 1983 Oxford archaeologist Derek Roe packed his pen and set off for Tanzania. He was going to Olduvai Gorge to act as ghost-writer for the autobiography of Mary Leakey, "grande dame" of African archaeology. His credentials were excellent: as a specialist in Early Stone Age hand-axes he had worked with Mary and her husband Louis; his writing was clear and elegant; and, perhaps most important of all, Mary thought she could get on with him. In this beautifully crafted diary Derek tells the story of the three visits he made that year. He gives us many glimpses of local colour, but also of the woman usually obscured by the double defence of archaeology and Dalmatians. The aftermath, bittersweet, is summed up in an epilogue based around letters from both parties. And, incidentally, this Oxford Professor of Palaeolithic archaeology gives an excellent summary of the archaeology of Olduvai Gorge, accessible to public and professionals alike.

This book can be ordered online by credit/debit card only. If you are in the UK you may order it for £14.95, postage and packing free. If you are anywhere else in the world the price is £14.95 plus £2.00 for postage and packing (£16.95).

For further information and to order this publication visit Beagle Books on the publishers website at:

http://www.waspress.co.uk/beagle/

© Western Academic & Specialist Press Ltd 2004