Homo Britannicus: the incredible story of human life in Britain

Abstract

Ishould lay my cards on the table at the outset. I am an ‘associate’ of the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain (AHOB) project, but I am not an employee, nor do I receive any financial assistance from them. Associates can be called on if there is need for their expertise (which in my case there is not). I wanted to make this clear in case anyone visiting the AHOB website wonders what an associate of the project was doing reviewing a project book. It is also important to situate the book in its appropriate context right from the beginning. The book is intended as a popular review of the evidence for the Paleolithic occupation of Britain. It is found in the popular history section, or ‘pop science’ shelves of major book retail chains. One of its other agendas is to promote the AHOB project, which it does very effectively. A short prologue sets the scene for the chapters that follow, laying out the scope and general pattern the book will follow. Then comes an introduction to the history of the study of human origins (particularly in Britain). This is largely focused on the accepted version of events and developed through personalities and key figures rather than broader historical processes, but none the worse for that. It is a good solid chapter with a fair balance of paleoanthroplogy and archaeology. Why it is an introduction is beyond me, it should have been the first chapter. Chapter 1 looks at the earliest occupation of Britain prior to the Anglian glaciation of ca. 450,000 years ago. It sets the scene with some dramatic hominin fossil discoveries from Dmanisi in Georgia, Atapuerca in Spain, and elsewhere, then moves on to equally dramatic archaeological and paleontological discoveries from the rapidly eroding cliff-line of East Anglia, eastern England, where AHOB ex cavations have taken place. The sections are clearly written and informative, and much of it will be new to interested members of the general public, so the chapter acts as an important platform for bringing out data that has up until now only circulated in the specialist literature or more focused student text books. It presents this information in an easily digestible form. But here I will highlight my first criticism of the book. There is a tendency in the chapter, and indeed then