Digging Up the Ice Age: Recognising, Recording and Understanding Fossil and Archaeological Remains Found in British Quarries

The sands and gravels laid down by rivers contain perhaps the most important archives of the Ice Age that we possess, in the form of sediments, fossils and human artefacts. Quarrying opens up these archives. It enables Ice Age climates, environments, plants and animals to be reconstructed in remarkable detail. It shines a light on human evolution. However, quarrying is also destructive. Only if we know what to look for, and make a positive effort to adequately record and recover what is found, can the benefits of quarrying for research into the Ice Age be realised. This handbook, packed with practical information, and with more than 140 illustrations, contains full guidance on working in British quarries, what to look out for and what it can tell us, and how to record sites and finds.