Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in Wakefield!

We are involved in an exciting research project with the West Yorkshire Historic Environment Record, which is already showing some interesting results about Wakefield's distant past!

Over the past couple of months, The Historic Environment Record Officer for West Yorkshire has been examining the Palaeolithic (750,000BC to 10,000BC in the UK) and Mesolithic (10,000BC to c. 3500BC) flint collections of Wakefield Museum for a Historic England funded project. 

This project involves visiting local museums across West Yorkshire, to review and record their flint collections in order to improve the early Prehistoric records of the West Yorkshire Historic Environment Record (HER). The project results will be discussed with leading academic professionals and fed back to the participating museums - improving knowledge and understanding of these collections. 

The project will enable more accurate planning advice to be provided, and help the people of West Yorkshire to better understand the early Prehistoric occupation of the area.  

Middle Palaeolithic flint hand axe from Lee Moor, Stanley

Although the project is only part way through, it would appear from looking at the finds that Wakefield was one of only a couple of locations in West Yorkshire to be visited by Palaeolithic hunter-gathers in the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic period (c. 60,000BC to 10,000 BC).