About

This database contains information about Pleistocene sites in Britain that are associated with early hominin occupation of northwestern Europe. The data were assembled by researchers working with the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain project (AHOB) between 2001 and 2015. Neither the sites included nor the data themselves are comprehensive; rather the focus is on sites and questions addressed by the project. Data may be browsed using this interface or downloaded for customized uses such as sorting in spreadsheets, mapping in GIS, analyzing in R, or importing into a local relational database.

Citing the data

Please cite the original sources where possible. Citations are given for each faunal, archaeological, and geochemical datum reported in the database. A general bibliography is also provided for each site. The researchers who excavated sites, identified fauna, studied lithics, analyzed geochemistry, built stratigraphic frameworks, and developed an understanding of the human occupation of Britain deserve credit for their accomplishments.

To cite AHOB data as a compilation:

Stringer CB, Ashton N, Polly PD, Lewis M, Bello S, Parfitt S, Schreve D, Currant A, Scott R, Jacobi R, Higham T, Candy I, Lewis S, Penkman K, and Preece R. 2015. The Ancient Human Occupation of Britain Database. AHOB Project: London, United Kingdom.

To cite the database interface:

Polly, P. D. and C. B. Stringer. 2011. The Ancient Human Occupation of Britain (AHOB) Database. In R. Macchiarelli and G-C. Weniger (ed.) Pleistocene Databases: Acquisition, Storing, Sharing. Wissenschaftliche Schriften des Neanderthal Museums, 4: 51-60. [download here].

Funding

Funding for the AHOB project, including the database, was provided by three consecutive program grants from the Leverhulme Trust.

Leverhulme Trust Multi-Institution Exceptional Grant F/00 696/Q. 2009-2012. Dispersals of early humans: adaptations, frontiers and new territories (AHOB3). Chris Stringer and Nick Ashton, Programme Directors. C.B. Stringer, N. Ashton, I. Candy, A.P. Currant, T. Higham, S. Lewis, K. Penkman, P.D. Polly, R.C. Preece, W. Roebroeks, and D. Schreve (co-PIs). (£1,133,815).

Leverhulme Trust Multi-Institution Research Programme Grant. 2006-2009. Ancient Britain and its European Context: AHOB2. Chris Stringer, Programme Director. C.B. Stringer, N. Ashton, I. Candy, A. Currant, R. Jacobi, S. Lewis, S. Parfitt, P.D. Polly, J. Rose, D. Schreve, and M. White (co-PIs). (£999,000).

Leverhulme Trust Multi-Institution Research Programme Grant. 2001-2006. Ancient Human Occupation of Britain. Chris Stringer, Programme Director. C.B. Stringer, N. Ashton, A. Currant, R. Jacobi, S. Lewis, S. Parfitt, P.D. Polly, D. Schreve, M. White (co-PIs). (£1,210,000).