Gerry Thacker | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

Excavations carried out prior to the construction of a new fire station in
Guildford, Surrey, revealed a well preserved, in situ Late Upper Palaeolithic flint
scatter. The site lay on cold climate fluvial sandy gravels deposited in braided
stream systems prior to the onset of the Late Glacial (Windermere) interstadial.
Typological analysis of the flint and OSL dates suggest that the scatter itself dates
from the first half of the Late Glacial (Windermere) interstadial (c 1415KBP).
The lithic assemblage is homogeneous and, apart from initial extraction and
nodule testing, all stages of flint manufacture are represented. Two main
concentrations of knapping are represented, the main focus of which were the
production of blade blanks some of which were removed from the site. Functional
analysis of the tools suggests relatively short occupation during which hunting,
smallscale craft activities linked with the retooling of hunting weapons and the
manufacture of hide items, and limited processing of animal and plant materials
took place.
The assemblage is comparable to that from Wey Manor Farm, Surrey, 17km
further downstream, and raises the question of the relationship between the
two sites. Both share technological and typological features in common with
the Creswellian, though Wey Manor Farm has a greater diversity in lithic point
types. Comparison with Continental assemblages suggests that the Surrey sites
share affinities with the Older Azilian or equivalents in northwest France and
Germany and implies strong postMagdalenian influences in the Late Upper
Palaeolithic of Britain.