Surrey Archaeological Society

The Palaeolithic period c. 850,000 - 9000 BC

The vast timespan of the ‘Stone Age’ – over half a million years – is often difficult to conceptualise, not least because it is represented by a wide diversity of artefacts and complexity of themes. The Palaeolithic (or ‘Old Stone Age’) is the era which begins with the earliest humans and ends with the retreat of the glaciers in the last Ice Age. Although much of our evidence is in the form of the flint tools left behind in the archaeological record, other sites from around Britain can give some insight into other aspects of material culture, including art.

Although its archaeology is frequently under-rated, Surrey is a unique area of rich history. Numerous nationally-important archaeological sites include Palaeolithic camps, a unique and extensive Mesolithic microlith industry, the Stanwell Neolithic cursus and Badshot Lea long barrow, Bronze Age centres (e.g. Runnymede) and an unusually high number of Iron Age hillforts. Its historic heritage is equally exceptional, including Roman temples, villas and pottery industries, Saxon cemeteries, medieval monasteries, churches and castles, and Tudor palaces such as Nonsuch which are arguably the most spectacular in the country.