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Earliest use of fire in Europe discovered in Wiltshire

Submitted by vicky on Monday, 08 December 2003  Page Views: 11550

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Archaeologists in Wiltshire think they may have discovered the earliest use of fire in Europe. A new report reveals details of a major archaeological discovery on the route of the proposed Harnham Relief Road. The ancient site, which dates back between 250,000 and 300,000 years to the early Stone Age, is thought to be of national importance.

Initial surveys suggested nothing of archaeological significance, but further investigations revealed a major historical site.

Archaeologists discovered a range of items, including 44 flint hand axes, which are the earliest form of tool used by man. Other finds included animal bones, such as horse bones.

Helena Cave Penny, Wiltshire County Council's county archaeologist for Salisbury district, said: "These finds appear to be of national significance. This is a very exciting discovery which has helped our understanding of the period.

"The presence of charcoal at the site suggests the people there made fires - this would seem natural when it is known that the climate was cold and damp at the time. It could be the earliest evidence of such fires in Britain and probably in Europe."

Archaeological evidence suggests the site was next to a tributary of the River Avon and may have been used as a seasonal riverside camp by hunters who lived in Britain at the time.

The archaeological report can be inspected at Salisbury Reference Library.

The road scheme has been designed for Wiltshire County Council by Parkman, with environmental advice from specialist consultants RPS.

The archaeological survey was carried out by RPS and Gifford and Partners as part of the determination of the planning application submitted by Wiltshire Council Council for the Harnham Relief Road and Brunel Link.

The need for a relief road to improve access to Churchfields Industrial Estate and take through traffic away from Harnham was identified by the Salisbury Transport Study, and the scheme was provisionally accepted for funding in December 2000.

Wiltshire County Council will now be consulting with English Heritage and other interested organisations to decide what steps should be taken to safeguard the archaeological finds.

Source: Wiltshire CC Press release 06/10/2003

Note: Update - discovery halts bypass (for now) - see comment below.
Contributor Bio for vicky: Ex Megalithic Portal Editor, Co-author of 'Rock Around the Peak - Megalithic Monuments of the Peak District' and... More

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"Earliest use of fire in Europe discovered in Wiltshire" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
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Re: Earliest use of fire in Europe discovered in Wiltshire by Anonymous on Monday, 08 November 2004
this dose not really tell me about the trench
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Re: Earliest use of fire in Europe discovered in Wiltshire by Vicky on Monday, 08 December 2003
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From The Guardian:

Bypass blocked by stone-age fireplace

Andrew Clark, transport correspondent
Monday December 8, 2003
The Guardian

A stone-age family who lit a campfire on a riverbank near Salisbury 250,000 years ago have dealt a blow to a controversial scheme to build a "bypass by stealth".

Archaeologists working for Wiltshire county council have discovered traces of ancient charcoal alongside horse bones and 44 flint axes in a trench dug along the route of a new relief road.

They think the find could be the earliest evidence of man-made fire in Europe, indicating that early hominids learned how to build fires to keep warm before the emergence of Homo sapiens.

Helena Cave Perry, a council archaeologist, described the find as "of national significance". Road work has been halted, and the development has given new hope to opponents of the scheme.

Environmentalists accuse the county council of quietly reviving a £76m bypass around the city that was cancelled by the Labour government after it won power in 1997. At the time, protesters said it would spoil a spectacular view of the water meadows beneath Salisbury cathedral's spire, immortalised by the painter John Constable.

Critics now point to proposals for two new roads - one skirting the village of Harnham to the south of Salisbury and the other around the Wylye Valley to the north-west.

Margaret Willmot, secretary of the pressure group Salisbury Transport 2000, said: "There is no way you can put a bypass around Salisbury without going over environmentally sensitive areas."

The council says it needs to reduce the number of lorries thundering through Salisbury. The city is on the A36 - a direct route between Bristol and Southampton that is heavily used by freight traffic.

A council official admitted that the new roads amounted to "half a bypass". But he said the southern relief road would provide easier access to an industrial estate, diverting 9,000 vehicles a day away from Harnham.

Anti-roads groups say lorries from Bristol should be diverted onto the M4 to relieve pressure on communities.

The ancient campfire has halted the council's proposal in its tracks - at least temporarily.

Susan Smith, an English Heritage ancient monuments expert, said: "You often find the odd stone-age axe, but this is something else. It's a very important find."

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