Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Sturry, Homersham's East Pit - numerous Palaeolithic handaxe finds reported, but only one extant handaxe in museum collections well-provenanced to site

Monument Types

• OCCUPATION SITE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)

Associated Finds

• HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)

Full description

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Reported by Dewey & Smith (1) as the most prolific pit in Sturry for Palaeolithic finds, although Roe (2) only found one handaxe from the site, in the British Museum collection. Site later included in the Southern Rivers Project (3, 4)

Francis Wenban-Smith noted during the Stour Basin Palaeolithic project: "Some confusion about location of "Homersham's East Pit"; Dewey & Smith initially (p. 118) describe it as between Ashenden's west and east pits, but later (p. 132) state that it is immediately to east of their west pit. Only one handaxe known for sure from this pit, but was "the most prolific" according to Dewey & Smith"

<1> Dewey H, Smith RA, 1925, Flints from the Sturry gravels, Kent. (Article in serial). SKE29699.

<2> Roe, D.A., 1968, Gazetteer of British Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Sites, p178 (Monograph). SWX6570.

<3> Wessex Archaeology, 1993, The Southern Rivers Palaeolithic Project, Report No.2: The South West and South of the Thames [Vol. I - text], S4 (Monograph). SWX6569.

<4> Wessex Archaeology, 1993, The Southern Rivers Palaeolithic Project: maps for Report No. 2, Regions 4 & 1, The South West and South of the Thames [Vol II - maps], S4 (Unpublished document). SKE12023.

Sources and further reading