University archaeologists are working to save important Palaeolithic remains at a rare Neanderthal site, before they are lost to the forces of nature.
The Baker’s Hole site, at Ebbsfleet in Kent, is Britain’s foremost location for evidence dating back 250,000 years, when Britain was being colonised by early Neanderthals.
In the latest phase of work, the University’s Dr Francis Wenban-Smith has been working to identify where important deposits still survive and to find out what these can still tell us about the period.
Dr Wenban-Smith says, “We have one to two years to examine this area and implement a new management plan to ensure its survival, otherwise the remains will be eroded away or otherwise damaged by plants and animals, so it is crucial work like this takes place now.”
Stone tools, mammoth teeth and other fossils such as giant deer, bear and lion, have previously been found at Baker’s Hole.