Monument record HXN 001 - Lake Sediments at Hoxne Brickworks, Hoxne, (Palaeolithic)

Hoxne is an important site for understanding the Lower Palaeolithic occupation of northern Europe.

The sequence at Hoxne are of particular importance because they contain abundant palaeoenvironmental evidence and also a rich Palaeolithic archaeological record. Despite the long history of research at Hoxne, it remains unclear how the primary context human industries relate to the environmental record and the correlation of this part of the succession with the marine isotope sequence is uncertain. The current research has focussed on these issues as part of a wider investigation of human presence during MIS 11 under the auspices of the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain Project. Since the discovery at Hoxne of Lower Palaeolithic handaxes by Frere (1800), the site has been the subject nof several investigations, providing often radical reinterpretations of previous work. This work has focussed on two pits, either side of the Hoxne to Eye road. The Old Brick Pit to the east of the road was the subject of the earliest investigations, and these were supplemented by work in the Oakley Park Pit when this was first opened in the mid-19th century, (S8).

The site has yielded numerous handaxes, including twisted ovate handaxes, pointed handaxes, and various flakes and scrapers, divided into upper and lower assemblages, (S11).

1797: Finds of handaxes recorded by Frere, (S1), showing the antiquity of humans.
c.1860: Investigations by Prestwich, (S2).
1895-1896: Geomorphological Survey by Carlton Reid, (S3)
1924-1926, 1934: Investigations by Reid Moir, (S4, S5)
1951: Investigations by West and McBurney, (S15)
1968: Casual Observation of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic (See HXN 002) items, (S7)
1971-1974, 1978: Excavation by Wymer and the University of Chicago, (S6)
2000-2003: Excavations by Ashton and the British Museum, (S8).

Also SSI.

See other sources.

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2003 (S22).

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2001 (S23)