Swanscombe Heritage Park, Paleolithic excavation site in Swanscombe, England
Swanscombe Heritage Park is an archaeological site in a former quarry where researchers uncovered thousands of stone tools and animal bones from the Paleolithic period. The grounds span about 3.9 hectares and display multiple excavation layers that visitors can explore along a marked walking route.
Systematic excavation of the site between 1935 and 1955 uncovered three skull fragments dating back 400,000 years, representing some of Britain's oldest human remains. These discoveries alongside thousands of tools and animal bones reveal that people inhabited this location during the middle Paleolithic period.
Information boards made of granite explain the layers of ancient soil and what the different stone tools tell us about how early people lived and worked.
A well-marked walking trail guides visitors through different excavation points and is easy to navigate for most people. Weatherproof clothing is recommended since the site sits on open ground with little shelter.
Paleontologists at the site discovered bones from extinct animals such as straight-tusked elephants, giant deer, and Merck's rhinoceros, some bearing cut marks from early human hunting activity. These traces show that people here hunted large game for food and survival.
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