Skip over navigation

View a printer friendly version of this page

Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Record Details

NHER Number:	5673
Type of record:	Find Spot
Name:	Unprovenanced Palaeolithic flint flakes, Two Mile Bottom (Thetford, poorly located)

Summary

Between 1910 and 1917 a number of Palaeolithic flint flakes were found in the Two Mile Bottom area of Thetford parish. It is not known exactly where these objects were found, although several are recovered as being from a "stone heap".

Images - none

Location

Parish:	THETFORD, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

Several Palaeolithic worked flints are known to have been found at Two Mile Bottom during the early 20th century. Two Mile Bottom is an area of low lying land on the north bank of the Little Ouse River, to the north-west of Thetford (TL 84 87).

FINDS IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

1910 and 1917. Stray Find.
The Norwich Castle Museum hold 3 Palaeolithic flint flakes that were found at Two Mile Bottom. These are part of the H. Dixon Hewitt collection (NWHCM : 1922.39) and are recorded as having been found on a "stoneheap". These were recovered in 1910 and 1917.
Information from (S1).
These flakes are listed in (S2) and described on (S3) and in (S4) as rolled and stained. According to (S3) one is a possible Levallois flake.

OTHER REPORTED DISCOVERIES

It is possible that the flakes in the NCM were not the only objects that Dixon Hewitt recovered at this location, as it is recorded that he exhibited a series of implements of "later Palaeolithic cave" type from Two Mile Bottom at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia in December 1912 (S5).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 1 July 2013.

Pre 1911. Stray Find
A Palaeolithic flake from Two Mile Bottom was exhibited at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia by J. Chapman on 23 January 1911 (S6). No further details are known.
P. Watkins (HES), 1 July 2013.

Monument Types

FINDSPOT (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 1000000 BC to 40001 BC)

Associated Finds

FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)
FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)
LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)
LEVALLOIS FLAKE? (Middle Palaeolithic - 150000 BC? to 40001 BC?)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---	Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
<S1>	Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Palaeolithic.
<S2>	Monograph: Roe, D. A. 1968. A Gazetteer of British Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Sites. CBA Research Report. No 8. p 240.
<S3>	Record Card: Wymer, J. J. Wymer Index Card - Palaeolithic. Thetford (Two Mile Bottom).
<S4>	Publication: Wymer, J. J. 1985. Palaeolithic Sites of East Anglia. p 115.
<S5>	Article in Serial: 1913. Summary of Proceedings. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia. Vol I Pt III (for 1912-13) pp 378-382. p 380.
<S6>	Article in Serial: 1912. Summary of Proceedings. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia. Vol I Pt II (for 1910-11 and 1911-12) pp 233-241. p 235.