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EN_01507468_0068
EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITORIAL STORY. THE USE OF THESE MATERIALS FOR ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. MATERIAL COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH STATED SUPPLIER.
VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM Archaeologists unearthed a stunning new ???mammoth graveyard??? featured in a new David Attenborough documentary that aired on Thursday (30December2021). The remains of at least five Ice Age mammoths, including two adults, two juveniles, and one infant were discovered at a quarry near Swindon alongside stone tools made by Neanderthals. The excavations have been dubbed Britain???s most significant Ice Age discovery of recent years. They were led by archaeologists from the DigVentures social enterprise - a team of archaeologists who organise digs around the U.K. that are open to the public. Lisa Westcott Wilkins, Co-founder, DigVentures said: ??sFinding mammoth bones is always extraordinary, but finding ones that are so old and well preserved, and in such close proximity to Neanderthal stone tools is exceptional. Words can???t quite capture the thrill of seeing a mammoth tusk still in the ground, or the feeling of standing in the middle of a site that has the potential to change how we see our closest human relatives and the Ice Age megafauna they shared their world with??? Also found on the site were astonishingly well-preserved items, including delicate beetle wings and fragile freshwater snail shells and stone tools and mammoth. Lisa went on to say that it was an honour that Attenborough and his team had chosen to make a documentary about the find. ??sTurning such an exciting discovery into a BBC documentary has made this a once in a lifetime experience, especially working with Sir David Attenborough. It has given us the chance to see the site through his eyes, and to reveal the extraordinary science that goes into each step of discovery,??? she said. Dating evidence has revealed that the site was in use around 210,000 ??" 220,000 years ago, towards the end of a warm period known as MIS7 when Britain was still occupied by Neanderthals, before they were forced away by the increasingly cold temperatures that followed. Research is ongoing to understand why so many mammoths were found in one place, and whether they were hunted or scavenged by Britain???s Neandertal residents. DigVentures began investigating the site after two passionate fossil-hunters, Sally and Neville Hollingworth, spotted a Neanderthal hand axe along with an impressive number of mammoth remains at a Swindon quarry. They then undertook excavations over two periods, in 2019 and 2021, recovering small flint tools called ???scrapers???, which would have been used for cleaning fresh hides, plus tusks, leg bones, ribs and vertebrae belonging to a species of Steppe mammoth. Sally described the find as a ??sreal thrill??? as she and Neville had only hoped to discover marine fossils - and are delighted their find inspired a major archaeological excavation the new documentary. Lisa went on to say that she expects to find even more evidence of life in prehistoric Britain at the site. ??sThere is still so much more to be uncovered here. The collaboration between scientists, landowners, and enthusiasts has been crucial, and we are already looking at how to continue the investigations and are exploring different ways that members of the public might be able to be part of it,??? she added. DigVentures is a team of archaeologists organise archaeological digs that are open to members of the public to join. For more information about the dig, related events, and how to register your interest in being part of future investigations at the site, visit digventures.com. Where: Swindon, Wiltshire, United Kingdom When: 11 Oct 2021 Credit: DigVentures/Cover Images **EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITORIAL STORY. THE USE OF THESE MATERIALS FOR ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. MATERIAL COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH STATED SUPPLIER.**
2021-10-11
Cover Images/East News
Cover Images
coverimages51040788
3,79MB
34cm x 26cm by 300dpi
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