Lynford Quarry facts for kids
Lynford Quarry is a very special place in Norfolk, England. It's an outdoor site where scientists found amazing clues from the Stone Age. Everything was found exactly where it was left long, long ago.
This site is about 60,000 years old! It shows us how Neanderthals, an ancient type of human, might have hunted.
Discovering Ancient Life
At Lynford Quarry, scientists found bones from at least nine woolly mammoths. These huge, hairy elephants lived a long time ago. Next to the mammoth bones were stone tools made by Neanderthals. These tools are called Mousterian tools. Scientists also found small pieces of stone, which are waste bits left over from making tools.
The tools, animal bones, and clues about the ancient environment were all found in an old riverbed. This riverbed was filled with dark, rich soil. It's very rare to find such well-preserved sites from this time in Europe, especially in Britain.
More Amazing Finds
Besides mammoths, the site also had teeth from ancient rhinoceroses. Scientists found antlers from deer and other animal bones too. In total, about 600 stone tools were found. These included whole tools and small flakes.
What was really interesting were 44 special hand axes. These axes were shaped like triangles or eggs.
How Old Is It?
Scientists used a method called Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating to figure out the age of the site. They tested sand from two layers in the old riverbed. This helped them know that the site dates back to a time called Marine Isotope Stage 3. This stage helps scientists understand different periods of Earth's climate history.
Images for kids
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A discoid hand axe
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A cordiform hand axe
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An amygdaloid hand axe
