In 2013, Historic England funded a project to bring together all records of Ice Age deposits, finds, and artefacts from Worcestershire as part of a national drive to improve the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic records in Historic Environment Records (HER). The results were incorporated into the Worcestershire HER, a countywide digital database of all archaeological finds and significant locations. This made many discoveries publicly accessible for the first time, and ensured they are considered during the archaeological checks that form part of the planning system.
The research identified over 170 sites across Worcestershire where Palaeolithic remains have been recorded. This produced over 50 environmental deposits containing plant micro and molluscan remains, over 170 lithic implements (stone tools) including 60 fantastic hand axes, and over 2500 faunal remains containing numerous examples of woolly mammoth bone, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer, wild pigs, bison and even evidence of lions roaming the countryside. The outcome of this project was a better understanding of the Ice Age landscapes, but also a new set of questions and research aims that need to be explored.
Find out more in this article about the project or take a look at the full report: Putting the Palaeolithic into Worcestershire’s HER – A toolkit.
Ice Age Worcestershire 