Surrey
Archaeological Society's Prehistoric Group has organised a lecture at
Letherhead Institute on excavations at Blick Mead, near Stonehenge
but pre-dating it with an estimated date of occupation from around 7500-4700 BC.
Archaeologist David Jacques has been leading the
project by the University
of Buckingham Stonehenge
landscape known as ‘Vespasian’s Camp’ on the mistaken assumption that it was
the remains of a former Roman settlement. Some 12,000 pieces of flint have
been unearthed, as well as over 500 pieces of bone dating from over 8000
years ago. Virtually all the tools are in pristine condition – indeed, some of
the team have accidentally cut their fingers on them.
The site had been ignored as it was assumed that any
archaeological evidence would have been destroyed in the course of landscaping of the area as a park for a
neighbouring country house in the 18th century. But radiocarbon dating of
objects now shows that Blick Mead was in continuous use for almost 3000 years.