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The dispersal of early humans from Africa by 1.75 Myr ago led to a marked expansion of their range, from the island of Flores in the east to the Iberian peninsula in the west (1-5). This range encompassed tropical forest, savannah and Mediterranean habitats, but has hitherto not been demonstrated beyond 45° N. Until recently, early colonization in Europe was thought to be confined to the area south of the Pyrenees and Alps. However, evidence from Pakefield (Suffolk, UK) at ~0.7 Myr indicated that humans occupied northern European latitudes when a Mediterranean-type climate prevailed (6). This provided the basis for an 'ebb and flow' model, where human populations were thought to survive in southern refugia during cold stages, only expanding northwards during fully temperate climates (5). Here we present new evidence from Happisburgh (Norfolk, UK) demonstrating that Early Pleistocene hominins were present in northern Europe >0.78 Myr ago when they were able to survive at the southern edge of the boreal zone. This has significant implications for our understanding of early human behaviour, adaptation and survival, as well as the tempo and mode of colonization after their first dispersal out of Africa., At Happisburgh Site 3 (Fig. 1) an assemblage of 78 flint artefacts has been excavated from fluvial gravels and laminated estuarine sands and silts that fill a series of stacked, [...]

Worthington George Smith was a leading light within a particular stratum of Victorians who made a significant contribution to the development of British Palaeolithic archaeology. He was highly regarded by those gentlemen-scholars who oversaw the transformation of antiquarianism to archaeology, most notably Sir John Evans, the doyen of that select number. But he was happiest with humbler men, and this side to his nature was evident when he took four aspiring prehistorians under his wing. By the establishment of networks such as these, archaeology expanded from a high society pursuit to what might be regarded as everyman’s pastime. Drawing largely on unpublished material, including numerous letters from Smith to his coterie, the way in which this loosely knit group formed and functioned is revealed, together with fresh insights into Smith’s career and character. Smith emerges as a significant link between the elites of prehistory and the underestimated ‘little people’ who frequently fall between the cracks and disappear forever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]