Cidersomerset
7th February 2014, 20:40
tHFFMyBb1O8
Published on 7 Feb 2014
A series of footprints that were left by early humans over 800,000 years ago have
been discovered by a team of scientists led by the British Museum, Natural History
Museum and Queen Mary University of London.
The footprints left in ancient estuary muds were found at Happisburgh in Norfolk
and are direct evidence of the earliest known humans in northern Europe. Find out
more about the discovery: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/20...
Archaeological finds from Happisburgh and other locations around the country
feature in our Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story exhibition, open
between 13 February and 28 September 2014: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/britainmillionyears
==================================================
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.59.11/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
Earliest footprints outside Africa discovered in Norfolk
7 February 2014 Last updated at 10:30
By Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, BBC News
5nn7fVN-jvE
Dr Nick Ashton shows Pallab Ghosh where the footprints were found
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Earliest stone tools to go on show
Remains are 'earliest Europeans'
Humans' early arrival in Britain
Scientists have discovered the earliest evidence of human footprints outside of Africa,
on the Norfolk Coast in the East of England.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72796000/jpg/_72796884_img_9442.jpg
The footprints are more than 800,000 years old and were found on the shores of
Happisburgh.
They are direct evidence of the earliest known humans in northern Europe.
Details of the extraordinary markings have been published in the science journal Plos One.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72819000/gif/_72819245_pleistocene_landbridge_304map.gif
Infographic
The footprints have been described as "one of the most important discoveries, if not the
most important discovery that has been made on [Britain's] shores," by Dr Nick Ashton
of the British Museum.
"It will rewrite our understanding of the early human occupation of Britain and indeed of
Europe," he told BBC News.The markings were first indentified in May last year during a
low tide. Rough seas had eroded the sandy beach to reveal a series of elongated
hollows. Footprints The footprints on Happisburgh beach are possibly those of a family
in search of food I walked with Dr Ashton along the shore where the discovery was
made. He recalled how he and a colleague stumbled across the hollows: "At the time, I
wondered 'could these really be the case? If it was the case, these could be the earliest
footprints outside Africa and that would be absolutely incredible."
Such discoveries are very rare. The Happisburgh footprints are the only ones of this age
in Europe and there are only three other sets that are older, all of which are in Africa.
"At first, we weren't sure what we were seeing," Dr Ashton told me, "but it was soon
clear that the hollows resembled human footprints."
The hollows were washed away not long after they were identified. The team were,
however, able to capture the footprints on video that will be shown at an exhibition at
London's Natural History Museum later this month.
The video shows the researchers on their hands and knees in cold, driving rain, engaged
in a race against time to record the hollows. Dr Ashton recalls how they scooped out
rainwater from the footprints so that they could be photographed. "But the rain was
filling the hollows as quickly as we could empty them," he told me.
The team took a 3D scan of the footprints over the following two weeks. A detailed
analysis of these images by Dr Isabelle De Groote of Liverpool John Moores University
confirmed that the hollows were indeed human footprints, possibly of five people, one
adult male and some children.
Dr De Groote said she could make out the heel, arch and even toes in some of the
prints, the largest of which would have filled a UK shoe size 8 (European size 42; American size 9) .
"When I was told about the footprints, I was absolutely stunned," Dr De Groote told BBC News.
"They appear to have been made by one adult male who was about 5ft 9in (175cm) tall
and the shortest was about 3ft. The other larger footprints could come from young adult
males or have been left by females. The glimpse of the past that we are seeing is that
we have a family group moving together across the landscape."
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72796000/jpg/_72796878_ancient_footprints_624v2.jpg
Diagram of footprint scene
It is unclear who these humans were. One suggestion is that they were a species called
Homo antecessor, which was known to have lived in southern Europe. It is thought that
these people could have made their way to what is now Norfolk across a strip of land
that connected the UK to the rest of Europe a million years ago. They would have
disappeared around 800,000 years ago because of a much colder climate setting in not
long after the footprints were made.
It was not until 500,000 years ago that a species called Homo heidelbergensis lived in
the UK. It is thought that these people evolved into early Neanderthals some 400,000
years ago. The Neanderthals then lived in Britain intermittently until about 40,000 years
ago - a time that coincided with the arrival of our species, Homo sapiens.
There are no fossils of antecessor in Happisburgh, but the circumstantial evidence of
their presence is getting stronger by the day.
In 2010, the same research team discovered the stone tools used by such people. And
the discovery of the footprints now all but confirms that humans were in Britain nearly a
million years ago, according to Prof Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum, who
is also involved in the research at Happisburgh.
"This discovery gives us even more concrete evidence that there were people there," he
told BBC News. "We can now start to look at a group of people and their everyday
activities. And if we keep looking, we will find even more evidence of them, hopefully
even human fossils. That would be my dream".
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72796000/jpg/_72796882_img_9454.jpg
Happisburgh The prints were first noticed when a low tide uncovered them
Footprints
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72798000/jpg/_72798809_img_9438.jpg
The sea has now washed away the prints - but not before they were recorded
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26025763
=======================================================
N J NEWSDAY
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/01/12/article-2538051-0A5B246A000005DC-339_634x461.jpg
artist's impression of Happisburgh, Norfolk, when scientists believe it was occupied by
an ancient race of humans - who could have been the Homo antecessor or Homo
erectus species -
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/07/article-2553780-1B43C9DA00000578-565_634x765.jpg
This diagram shows the analysis of footprints found in Happisburgh. The top image
shows the 12 prints used to establish our ancient ancestor's footprint size. The chart
plots the length and width measurements of these 12 prints showing possible
individuals. Foot measurements for modern populations are shown in the key WHAT DO
THE FOOTPRINTS TELL US ABOUT EARLY MAN?Scientists believe the footprints were
made by a group of around five individuals.Judging from the size of the footprints, the
group was made up of at least one or two adult males, at least two adult females or
teenagers and three or four children.Their heights varied from about 0.9m (3ft) to over
1.7m (5ft 7in).The orientation of the footprints suggests that they were heading in a
southerly direction.They may have made been making way to what is now Norfolk
across a strip of land that connected Britain to the rest of Europe a million years
ago.The group would have looked very much like humans today, but with much
smaller brains. There would have been muddy freshwater pools on the floodplain
with salt marsh and coast nearby.Deer, bison, mammoth, hippo and rhino grazed
the river valley, surrounded by more dense coniferous forest. The estuary provided
a rich array of resources for the early humans with edible plant tubers, seaweed
and shellfish nearby, while the grazing herds would have provided meat through
hunting or scavenging.So who were these humans? Fossil remains of our forebears
are still proving elusive.However, as Professor Chris Stringer of the Natural History
Museum explains: ‘The humans who made the Happisburgh footprints may well
have been related to the people of similar antiquity from Atapuerca in Spain,
assigned to the species Homo antecessor.‘These people were of a similar height to
ourselves and were fully bipedal. They seem to have become extinct in Europe by
600,000 years ago and were perhaps replaced by the species Homo
heidelbergensis. - See more at:
See more at: http://www.njnewsday.com/national/20606-earliest-human-footprints-outside-africa-discovered-in-norfolk-800-000-year-old-imprints-re-write-our-understanding-of-history.html#sthash.IBRJBHtF.dpuf
Published on 7 Feb 2014
A series of footprints that were left by early humans over 800,000 years ago have
been discovered by a team of scientists led by the British Museum, Natural History
Museum and Queen Mary University of London.
The footprints left in ancient estuary muds were found at Happisburgh in Norfolk
and are direct evidence of the earliest known humans in northern Europe. Find out
more about the discovery: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/20...
Archaeological finds from Happisburgh and other locations around the country
feature in our Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story exhibition, open
between 13 February and 28 September 2014: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/britainmillionyears
==================================================
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.59.11/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
Earliest footprints outside Africa discovered in Norfolk
7 February 2014 Last updated at 10:30
By Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, BBC News
5nn7fVN-jvE
Dr Nick Ashton shows Pallab Ghosh where the footprints were found
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Earliest stone tools to go on show
Remains are 'earliest Europeans'
Humans' early arrival in Britain
Scientists have discovered the earliest evidence of human footprints outside of Africa,
on the Norfolk Coast in the East of England.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72796000/jpg/_72796884_img_9442.jpg
The footprints are more than 800,000 years old and were found on the shores of
Happisburgh.
They are direct evidence of the earliest known humans in northern Europe.
Details of the extraordinary markings have been published in the science journal Plos One.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72819000/gif/_72819245_pleistocene_landbridge_304map.gif
Infographic
The footprints have been described as "one of the most important discoveries, if not the
most important discovery that has been made on [Britain's] shores," by Dr Nick Ashton
of the British Museum.
"It will rewrite our understanding of the early human occupation of Britain and indeed of
Europe," he told BBC News.The markings were first indentified in May last year during a
low tide. Rough seas had eroded the sandy beach to reveal a series of elongated
hollows. Footprints The footprints on Happisburgh beach are possibly those of a family
in search of food I walked with Dr Ashton along the shore where the discovery was
made. He recalled how he and a colleague stumbled across the hollows: "At the time, I
wondered 'could these really be the case? If it was the case, these could be the earliest
footprints outside Africa and that would be absolutely incredible."
Such discoveries are very rare. The Happisburgh footprints are the only ones of this age
in Europe and there are only three other sets that are older, all of which are in Africa.
"At first, we weren't sure what we were seeing," Dr Ashton told me, "but it was soon
clear that the hollows resembled human footprints."
The hollows were washed away not long after they were identified. The team were,
however, able to capture the footprints on video that will be shown at an exhibition at
London's Natural History Museum later this month.
The video shows the researchers on their hands and knees in cold, driving rain, engaged
in a race against time to record the hollows. Dr Ashton recalls how they scooped out
rainwater from the footprints so that they could be photographed. "But the rain was
filling the hollows as quickly as we could empty them," he told me.
The team took a 3D scan of the footprints over the following two weeks. A detailed
analysis of these images by Dr Isabelle De Groote of Liverpool John Moores University
confirmed that the hollows were indeed human footprints, possibly of five people, one
adult male and some children.
Dr De Groote said she could make out the heel, arch and even toes in some of the
prints, the largest of which would have filled a UK shoe size 8 (European size 42; American size 9) .
"When I was told about the footprints, I was absolutely stunned," Dr De Groote told BBC News.
"They appear to have been made by one adult male who was about 5ft 9in (175cm) tall
and the shortest was about 3ft. The other larger footprints could come from young adult
males or have been left by females. The glimpse of the past that we are seeing is that
we have a family group moving together across the landscape."
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72796000/jpg/_72796878_ancient_footprints_624v2.jpg
Diagram of footprint scene
It is unclear who these humans were. One suggestion is that they were a species called
Homo antecessor, which was known to have lived in southern Europe. It is thought that
these people could have made their way to what is now Norfolk across a strip of land
that connected the UK to the rest of Europe a million years ago. They would have
disappeared around 800,000 years ago because of a much colder climate setting in not
long after the footprints were made.
It was not until 500,000 years ago that a species called Homo heidelbergensis lived in
the UK. It is thought that these people evolved into early Neanderthals some 400,000
years ago. The Neanderthals then lived in Britain intermittently until about 40,000 years
ago - a time that coincided with the arrival of our species, Homo sapiens.
There are no fossils of antecessor in Happisburgh, but the circumstantial evidence of
their presence is getting stronger by the day.
In 2010, the same research team discovered the stone tools used by such people. And
the discovery of the footprints now all but confirms that humans were in Britain nearly a
million years ago, according to Prof Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum, who
is also involved in the research at Happisburgh.
"This discovery gives us even more concrete evidence that there were people there," he
told BBC News. "We can now start to look at a group of people and their everyday
activities. And if we keep looking, we will find even more evidence of them, hopefully
even human fossils. That would be my dream".
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72796000/jpg/_72796882_img_9454.jpg
Happisburgh The prints were first noticed when a low tide uncovered them
Footprints
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72798000/jpg/_72798809_img_9438.jpg
The sea has now washed away the prints - but not before they were recorded
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26025763
=======================================================
N J NEWSDAY
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/01/12/article-2538051-0A5B246A000005DC-339_634x461.jpg
artist's impression of Happisburgh, Norfolk, when scientists believe it was occupied by
an ancient race of humans - who could have been the Homo antecessor or Homo
erectus species -
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/07/article-2553780-1B43C9DA00000578-565_634x765.jpg
This diagram shows the analysis of footprints found in Happisburgh. The top image
shows the 12 prints used to establish our ancient ancestor's footprint size. The chart
plots the length and width measurements of these 12 prints showing possible
individuals. Foot measurements for modern populations are shown in the key WHAT DO
THE FOOTPRINTS TELL US ABOUT EARLY MAN?Scientists believe the footprints were
made by a group of around five individuals.Judging from the size of the footprints, the
group was made up of at least one or two adult males, at least two adult females or
teenagers and three or four children.Their heights varied from about 0.9m (3ft) to over
1.7m (5ft 7in).The orientation of the footprints suggests that they were heading in a
southerly direction.They may have made been making way to what is now Norfolk
across a strip of land that connected Britain to the rest of Europe a million years
ago.The group would have looked very much like humans today, but with much
smaller brains. There would have been muddy freshwater pools on the floodplain
with salt marsh and coast nearby.Deer, bison, mammoth, hippo and rhino grazed
the river valley, surrounded by more dense coniferous forest. The estuary provided
a rich array of resources for the early humans with edible plant tubers, seaweed
and shellfish nearby, while the grazing herds would have provided meat through
hunting or scavenging.So who were these humans? Fossil remains of our forebears
are still proving elusive.However, as Professor Chris Stringer of the Natural History
Museum explains: ‘The humans who made the Happisburgh footprints may well
have been related to the people of similar antiquity from Atapuerca in Spain,
assigned to the species Homo antecessor.‘These people were of a similar height to
ourselves and were fully bipedal. They seem to have become extinct in Europe by
600,000 years ago and were perhaps replaced by the species Homo
heidelbergensis. - See more at:
See more at: http://www.njnewsday.com/national/20606-earliest-human-footprints-outside-africa-discovered-in-norfolk-800-000-year-old-imprints-re-write-our-understanding-of-history.html#sthash.IBRJBHtF.dpuf