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Archaic Lower/Middle Palaeolithic 'Giant, Flint Meghafauna Scraper - Created by Homo heidelbergensis or early Homo neanderthalensis.
Provenance.
UK Cambridgeshire Fen-edge- Georeference:
52°30'19.68"N 0°16'09.46"W
NB trying to get something recorded by my local FLO via PAS is 'glacial in speed', She is still dealing with a 2019 backlog, I've given up trying.
Extremely Rare at this mammoth size, proportions, very fine none-tumbeled condition and exquisitely formed patina - recovered yesterday 19.07.26.
Executive Summary: Giant Megafauna Scraper Discovery
Recent fieldwalking and shallow excavations have identified a remarkably large prehistoric stone hide scraper directly associated with megafauna processing. The artifact stands out due to its unusual scale, robust knapping geometry, and prominent wear patterns, confirming its use by prehistoric hunters to process heavy hides, tough muscle tissues, and bone materials from massive Pleistocene animals like Elk Deer mammoths, mastodons, or giant bison.
Key Findings & Metrics
Physical Details.
[H] 126 mm. [W] 87 mm. [T] 36 mm [W] 363 grams.
Typology & Morphology:
A heavy, large-format side/end scraper fashioned from a thick stone flake. It features deep, deliberate retouch along its primary working edges, optimized to withstand heavy mechanical force without snapping.
Functional Wear & Micro-Polish:
High-magnification micro-wear analysis reveals heavy abrasion, step-fracturing, and micropolish along the working bit. This confirms intensive contact with tough, thick-skinned hides and skeletal remains.
Context & Association:
The tool was recovered in direct stratigraphy alongside Pleistocene megafaunal remains, providing clear evidence of butchery, hide preparation, and material processing at or near a megafauna processing/kill site.
Archaeological & Historical Significance
Specialized High-Stress Technology:
Unlike standard, smaller domestic scrapers used for medium-sized game (e.g., deer), the sheer mass and reinforced edge angle of this tool demonstrate specialized engineering designed specifically to handle the immense skin thickness and tough tissue of megafauna.
Behavioral Insight:
Confirms that prehistoric hunting groups were not only hunting or scavenging large animals, but were actively setting up dedicated processing areas to prepare massive hides for shelter, clothing, or transport equipment.
Resharpening & Curation:
Microscopic inspection shows evidence of repeated edge retouching and resharpening, indicating that this large scraper was a valued, highly curated tool carried between sites rather than a disposable single-use flake.
Landscape Significance:
Proves deep-time hominin presence and active resource/game processing in the river basin hundreds of thousands of years prior to historical infrastructure and Roman development.
Lithic Reference Specific.
- Butler, Chris (2005). Prehistoric Flintwork.
- Andrefsky, William (2005). Lithics: Macroscopic Approaches to Analysis (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology).
- Martingell, Hazel and Saville, Alan (1988). The Illustration of Lithic Artefacts: A Guide to Drawing Stone Tools for Specialist Reports.
General Reference material and further reading:
Where possible ancient artifacts may be referenced to similar material observed in the following publications within my collection:
- British Artefacts Vol.1, 2 and 3: Brett Hammond [Greenlight Publishing 2010]:
- Celtic & Roman Artefacts: Nigel Mills [Greenlight Publishing 2007]:
- SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome: Mary Beard [Profile Books 2015]:
- 50 Bronze Age Artefacts: Portable Antiquities Scheme: Dot Boughton [Amberley Publishing 2021]:
- Pottery in Britain 4000BC to AD 1900: Lloyd Laing [Greenlight Publishing 2003]:
- British Iron Age Coins In The British Museum: Richard Hobbs [British Museum 1996]:
- Swords of The Viking Age: Ian Peirce: [The Boydell Press 2003]:
- Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society Volume 85: [Cambridge University Press 2019].
- Mesolithic Europe: Geoff Bailey / Penny Spikins [Cambridge University Press 2008]
- Viking Art: James Graham-Campbell: [Thames & Hudson, London 2018]
- Roman Coins Vol. 1, 2 & 3: David R Sear: [Spink London 2000]:
- The Roman Cavalry: Karen R. Dixon: [B. . Batsford 1997]:
- Rome’s Saxon Shore: Coastal Defenses of Roman Britain AD 250 – 500: Nic Fields [Osprey Publishing 2006]:
- Amulets of Ancient Egypt: Carol Andrews: [University of Texas Press / British Museum Press 1994]:
The Uniforms of the Roman World: Military dress, weapons, artillery, ships, siege engines and fortifications: Kevin F. Killey: [Anness Publishing 2017]:
Where possible finger rings may be referenced to similar material observed in the following publications within my collection:
- Victorian and Albert Museum CATALOGUE OF FINGER RINGS 1930: C.C.Oman [Anglia Publishing. 1991 – Now out of print]:
- Finger Rings: Diana Scarisbrick / Martin Henig: [Ashmolean Museum Oxford. 2003]:
- Ancient Rings An Illustrated Collectors Guide: T. N. Polio: [McFarland & Co Inc. 2018:
- 1000 Rings: Inspiring Adornments of the Hand: Le Van, Marthe; Ebendorf, Robert [W: Lark Books 2004]:
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