If Africa is the cradle of civilisation, then Happisburgh (pronounced "Haisbro") is the cradle of British civilisation.
The discovery of a treasure trove of flint tools and animal and plant remains near the coastal Norfolk town has led scientists to believe that it is where man first settled in Britain almost 1 million years ago.
Several thousand primitive humans, dubbed "Norfolk Man", with low foreheads and heavy brows hunted, fished and butchered mammoths, giant elk and deer in what is now Norfolk and East Anglia at a time when the area, 135 miles north of London, was heavily forested by conifers.
The early humans would not have needed boats because, at the time, Britain was not an island.
Scientists also believe than Norfolk Man may have had cannibalistic tendencies.
Fossilised remains of Norfolk Man have yet to be found. But scientists say it is likely he was related to Pioneer Man, hailed as Europe's oldest inhabitant when his remains were uncovered in Northern Spain in 1994.
'Cannibal' Britons arrived here for first time 950,000 years ago - and lived in Norfolk
By Fiona Macrae
7th July 2010
Daily Mail
Pretty Happisbrough (pronounced "Haisbro") in Norfolk is the cradle of British civilisation
They came, they saw and they settled - in Norfolk.
The first Britons made prehistoric rivers and forests of East Anglia their home, a landmark study has found.
'Norfolk Man' arrived up to 950,000 years ago and settled near what today is the village of Happisburgh, making it cradle of British civilisation.
Several thousand primitive humans, with low foreheads and heavy brows hunted, fished and butchered mammoths, giant elk and deer there, archaeologists believe.
And scientists believe that his similarity to another prehistoric man found in Spain means that he may even have had cannibalistic tendencies.
Enlarge
An artist's impression of Happisburgh, Norfolk, more than 800,000 years ago, when scientists believe it was occupied by an ancient race of humans
The discovery of a treasure trove of flint tools and animal and plant remains an near the coastal village has rewritten our island's history.
It had been thought that the first humans managed to reach Britain from the Continent about 700,000 years ago, settling in Pakefield in Suffolk, when temperatures were significantly warmer than a million years ago.
The Norfolk find - detailed in the journal Nature - tells us that ancient Britons had the know-how and technology to survive in much harsher climes.
Archaeologist Dr Nick Ashton, of the British Museum, said: 'The new flint artefacts are incredibly important because, not only are they much earlier than other finds, but they are associated with a unique array of environmental data that gives a clear picture of the vegetation and climate.
'This demonstrates early humans surviving in a cooler climate than that of the present day.'
Norfolk Man would have entered Britain via the extensive land bridge that then joined our country to mainland Europe.
Archaeologists excavate the site close to the seashore at Happisburgh, Norfolk
Fossilised remains of Norfolk Man have yet to be unearthed. But scientists say it is likely he was related to Pioneer Man - hailed as Europe's oldest inhabitant when his remains were uncovered in Northern Spain in 1994.
Pioneer Man, or Homo antecessor, is believed to have had cannibalistic tendencies after bite marks were found on bones at the site.
But in many other ways, he was rather like us.
The estuarine site, 135miles northeast of London, lay on an ancient course of the River Thames, and was surrounded by a conifer forest.
Mammoths, rhinos, elephants, sabre-toothed cats, horses, elks, deer, voles, and hyenas as big as lions roamed the banks (the remains of such animals were found in the 1840s when Trafalgar Square was being constructed in central London).
But short winter days and a short growing season exacerbated the already tough living conditions.
Newly discovered artefacts and fossils found in the river bank in Norfolk which show prehistoric man was living in the UK more than 900,000 years ago
Archaeologist Nick Ashton shows some newly discovered tool fragments
Professor Chris Stringer, of the Natural History Museum, said: 'This was a species that was fully human in terms of walking upright. This was no ape man.
'They had quite large brains, they were relatively advanced humans but still lacking a number of modern human features.
'They still had a strong brow and low forehead and there teeth were bigger than in modern humans today.'
The River Thames - and the animals that roamed its banks - was the lifeblood of Norfolk Man.
The mud flats and marshes of its ancient estuary and the nearby coastline functioned as a hunting and butchering ground.
Animals in their sights ranged from elephants, mammoths, rhinos, deer and giant elk to voles and mice.
Seaweed, tubers and shellfish would have helped satisfy the ancient Britons' appetite when prey was scarce.
Norfolk man probably likely also had no qualms about picking over carcasses discarded by big cats.
Scientists dig at the site on the Norfolk coast which has unearthed a treasure trove of fossils
But the hunter was also the hunted, with sabre-toothed cats and hyenas as big as lions proving formidable predators.
Although Norfolk Man hunted and butchered on the river bank, his home has yet to be discovered.
There are no caves in the area, suggesting he built primitive shelters to keep out the cold. Some of the flints discovered contained notches, suggesting they were fashioned for working wood.
Body hair may have helped keep him warm but it is likely he used animal pelts as clothing and mastered the use of fire - although evidence of this has yet to be found.
The climate was similar to that of modern-day southern Scandinavia.
East Anglia
Summer temperatures were like those of modern Britain - but winters were long and harsh, with average temperatures between 0C (32f) and minus 3C (27f).
Professor Stringer said: 'That these people at least for a while hung on here and adapted to these challenging conditions is very surprising for such an early date.'
Although the site had yielded numerous animal bones, tools and even fossilised hyena droppings, complete with grains of prehistoric pollen, fossilised remains of Norfolk Man have yet to be unearthed.
Professor Stringer said: 'This would be the "holy grail" of our work. As a human palaeontologist, it is my dream that we will uncover some fossilised human material from this time period in Britain.
'The question of the earliest occupation of Europe has been the focus of heated debates within archaeological circles for the past century.
'We are trying to build a detailed calendar of human presence and absence in Britain and continental Europe but it is clear that human occupation was extremely episodic, and in many regions, absence seems to have been the rule, rather than the presence.'
The find takes the number of separate waves of colonisation of what is now Britain to nine - eight of which have failed.
It is possible that there were more - with the earliest dating to even before Norfolk Man.
dailymail.co.uk
The discovery of a treasure trove of flint tools and animal and plant remains near the coastal Norfolk town has led scientists to believe that it is where man first settled in Britain almost 1 million years ago.
Several thousand primitive humans, dubbed "Norfolk Man", with low foreheads and heavy brows hunted, fished and butchered mammoths, giant elk and deer in what is now Norfolk and East Anglia at a time when the area, 135 miles north of London, was heavily forested by conifers.
The early humans would not have needed boats because, at the time, Britain was not an island.
Scientists also believe than Norfolk Man may have had cannibalistic tendencies.
Fossilised remains of Norfolk Man have yet to be found. But scientists say it is likely he was related to Pioneer Man, hailed as Europe's oldest inhabitant when his remains were uncovered in Northern Spain in 1994.
'Cannibal' Britons arrived here for first time 950,000 years ago - and lived in Norfolk
By Fiona Macrae
7th July 2010
Daily Mail
Pretty Happisbrough (pronounced "Haisbro") in Norfolk is the cradle of British civilisation
They came, they saw and they settled - in Norfolk.
The first Britons made prehistoric rivers and forests of East Anglia their home, a landmark study has found.
'Norfolk Man' arrived up to 950,000 years ago and settled near what today is the village of Happisburgh, making it cradle of British civilisation.
Several thousand primitive humans, with low foreheads and heavy brows hunted, fished and butchered mammoths, giant elk and deer there, archaeologists believe.
And scientists believe that his similarity to another prehistoric man found in Spain means that he may even have had cannibalistic tendencies.
Enlarge
An artist's impression of Happisburgh, Norfolk, more than 800,000 years ago, when scientists believe it was occupied by an ancient race of humans
The discovery of a treasure trove of flint tools and animal and plant remains an near the coastal village has rewritten our island's history.
It had been thought that the first humans managed to reach Britain from the Continent about 700,000 years ago, settling in Pakefield in Suffolk, when temperatures were significantly warmer than a million years ago.
The Norfolk find - detailed in the journal Nature - tells us that ancient Britons had the know-how and technology to survive in much harsher climes.
Archaeologist Dr Nick Ashton, of the British Museum, said: 'The new flint artefacts are incredibly important because, not only are they much earlier than other finds, but they are associated with a unique array of environmental data that gives a clear picture of the vegetation and climate.
'This demonstrates early humans surviving in a cooler climate than that of the present day.'
Norfolk Man would have entered Britain via the extensive land bridge that then joined our country to mainland Europe.
Archaeologists excavate the site close to the seashore at Happisburgh, Norfolk
Fossilised remains of Norfolk Man have yet to be unearthed. But scientists say it is likely he was related to Pioneer Man - hailed as Europe's oldest inhabitant when his remains were uncovered in Northern Spain in 1994.
Pioneer Man, or Homo antecessor, is believed to have had cannibalistic tendencies after bite marks were found on bones at the site.
But in many other ways, he was rather like us.
The estuarine site, 135miles northeast of London, lay on an ancient course of the River Thames, and was surrounded by a conifer forest.
Mammoths, rhinos, elephants, sabre-toothed cats, horses, elks, deer, voles, and hyenas as big as lions roamed the banks (the remains of such animals were found in the 1840s when Trafalgar Square was being constructed in central London).
But short winter days and a short growing season exacerbated the already tough living conditions.
Newly discovered artefacts and fossils found in the river bank in Norfolk which show prehistoric man was living in the UK more than 900,000 years ago
Archaeologist Nick Ashton shows some newly discovered tool fragments
Professor Chris Stringer, of the Natural History Museum, said: 'This was a species that was fully human in terms of walking upright. This was no ape man.
'They had quite large brains, they were relatively advanced humans but still lacking a number of modern human features.
'They still had a strong brow and low forehead and there teeth were bigger than in modern humans today.'
The River Thames - and the animals that roamed its banks - was the lifeblood of Norfolk Man.
The mud flats and marshes of its ancient estuary and the nearby coastline functioned as a hunting and butchering ground.
Animals in their sights ranged from elephants, mammoths, rhinos, deer and giant elk to voles and mice.
Seaweed, tubers and shellfish would have helped satisfy the ancient Britons' appetite when prey was scarce.
Norfolk man probably likely also had no qualms about picking over carcasses discarded by big cats.
Scientists dig at the site on the Norfolk coast which has unearthed a treasure trove of fossils
But the hunter was also the hunted, with sabre-toothed cats and hyenas as big as lions proving formidable predators.
Although Norfolk Man hunted and butchered on the river bank, his home has yet to be discovered.
There are no caves in the area, suggesting he built primitive shelters to keep out the cold. Some of the flints discovered contained notches, suggesting they were fashioned for working wood.
Body hair may have helped keep him warm but it is likely he used animal pelts as clothing and mastered the use of fire - although evidence of this has yet to be found.
The climate was similar to that of modern-day southern Scandinavia.
East Anglia
Summer temperatures were like those of modern Britain - but winters were long and harsh, with average temperatures between 0C (32f) and minus 3C (27f).
Professor Stringer said: 'That these people at least for a while hung on here and adapted to these challenging conditions is very surprising for such an early date.'
Although the site had yielded numerous animal bones, tools and even fossilised hyena droppings, complete with grains of prehistoric pollen, fossilised remains of Norfolk Man have yet to be unearthed.
Professor Stringer said: 'This would be the "holy grail" of our work. As a human palaeontologist, it is my dream that we will uncover some fossilised human material from this time period in Britain.
'The question of the earliest occupation of Europe has been the focus of heated debates within archaeological circles for the past century.
'We are trying to build a detailed calendar of human presence and absence in Britain and continental Europe but it is clear that human occupation was extremely episodic, and in many regions, absence seems to have been the rule, rather than the presence.'
The find takes the number of separate waves of colonisation of what is now Britain to nine - eight of which have failed.
It is possible that there were more - with the earliest dating to even before Norfolk Man.
dailymail.co.uk
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