Discover the latest finds from the A34 Lodge Hill interchange through an interesting talk by Dr Francis Wenban-Smith.

'Early occupation of the Upper Thames basin and new discoveries at the A34 Lodge Hill interchange'

Join us to explore fascinating insights into the early human occupation of the Upper Thames basin. Discover the latest findings from the A34 Lodge Hill Interchange area and dive into the stories these ancient sites reveal. It’s a great chance to connect with others who love history and archaeology. Don’t miss out on this exciting journey into the past!

Speaker: Francis Wenban-Smith of University of Southampton, working as the Palaeolithic specialist for Oxford Archaeology on behalf of the Principal Contractors Balfour Beatty for Oxfordshire County Council.

His talk will recap current understanding of the earliest occupation of the Upper Thames basin in the context of early hominin presence in northwest Europe and Britain. The A34 cutting between Lodge Hill and Sugworth Lane provided important information when it was first made in the early 1970s, exposing the “Sugworth Channel”. This provided a rich and diverse collection of Cromerian interglacial mammalian and other palaeo-environmental remains, helping to refine understanding of the UK’s Pleistocene climatic framework. At that time, the Sugworth Channel was thought to be much earlier than any hominin presence in the UK. However it has subsequently become clear that hominin presence in the UK extends back considerably earlier than previously thought. There has also been increasing recognition of the importance of non-flint lithic artefacts as evidence of early hominin presence in parts of the UK without Chalk bedrock. New discoveries of flint and quartzite artefacts from the new works for the A34 Lodge Hill interchange provide important new information to add to our understanding.

This free talk will take place at Abingdon Museum, in the Kempster Room (Basement). Please note that the entrance for the Museum’s Basement is at the back door, or accessible via lift from outside the museum at street level.

This event is in association with ACAP, the Abingdon Archaeology Community Project.

www.acapabingdon.org

Description supplied by the event organiser.