Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Handaxes, flakes, mammalian fossils and other palaeoenvironmental remains from 100 ft terrace deposits at Dierden's Pit, Knockhall Road, mostly discovered early 20th century.

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)
• CORE (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)
• DEBITAGE (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)
• HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)
• MOLLUSCA REMAINS (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)
• OSTRACOD REMAINS (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)
• RETOUCHED FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)

Full description

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The site was first discovered by H Stopes in the early 20th Century (1, 2) and then investigated further in 1913 (3). Numerous handaxes in a variety of shapes were found as well as a wide rande of large and small vertebrate fossils (deer, wolf, elephant, beaver, rhino, mouse, field vole, water vole, bank vole, frog). and molluscs (4). The presence of these finds wasn't accurately recorded; the vertebrate fossils are held in the NHM and the lithic artefacts are held at the NMW in Cardiff (1). Subsequent re-investigation by MP Kerney in 1975 was written up by T White (5). This work used the molluscan evidence from surviving deposits at the west side of the old pit to link in with other important sites such as Barnfield Pit and Clacton-on-Sea. The deposits can be equated with MIS 11, c. 400,000 - 360,000 BP. However the provenance of early 20th century handaxe finds from the site remains uncertain, and it is possible that many (or some) of these might originate from post MIS 11 deposits incised into the top of the shelly/ fossiliferous terrace deposits. The site is recorded in the SRPP (6) and was included in the KTG ME Survey (7).

<1> Wenban-Smith F. F., March 2004, The Stopes Palaeolithic Project: Final Report, #65 (Unpublished document). SWX12877.

<2> Wenban-Smith F. F., 2009, Henry Stopes (1852-1902): engineer, brewer and anthropologist. (Article in serial). SKE32180.

<3> Smith R.A and Dewey H, 1914, The High Terrace of the Thames: report on excavations made on behalf of the British Museum and H.M. Geological Survey., 190-199 (Article in serial). SKE32181.

<4> Stopes H., 1899, On the discovery of Neritina fluviatilis with a Pleistocene fauna and worked flints in High Terrace gravels of the Thames valley. (Article in serial). SKE32182.

<5> White TS, Preece RC, Whittaker JE, 2013, Molluscan and ostracod successions from Dierden's Pit, Swanscombe: insights into the fluvial history, sea-level record and human occupation of the Hoxnian Thames. (Article in serial). SKE32183.

<6> Essex County Council & Kent County Council, 2003, Archaeological Survey of Mineral Extraction Sites around the Thames Estuary, #KT870 (Unpublished document). SKE12012.

<7> Wessex Archaeology, 1993, The Southern Rivers Palaeolithic Project, Report No.2: The South West and South of the Thames [Vol. I - text], NWK 4.18 (Monograph). SWX6569.

Sources and further reading