An Isle of Wight family on a guided fossil hunt at Brook Bay have made an incredible discovery – unearthing what’s believed to be one of the Island’s oldest Stone Age hand axes.
Mrs Mel Harrison, along with her husband Tony, sons Jack and Charlie – both 9 years old – and friend Laura, joined an Island Gems Fossil Trips guided walk on Wednesday when she picked up a hand-sized flint stone that immediately caught the attention of experienced fossil guide Martin Simpson.
“It had the right look and feel about it,” said Martin, who has been leading fossil walks on the Isle of Wight for around 40 years.
The find was later authenticated by Dr Ferrero, the Isle of Wight Finds Liaison Officer, who confirmed the discovery to be “a Palaeolithic or pre-Palaeolithic hand axe perfectly intact – possibly the oldest to be found on the Island.”
Mel Harrison said:
“It’s incredible to think that this stone tool was made between 250,000 and 600,000 years ago and has lain undiscovered all this time.
We had a great time on the fossil trip and this has been the highlight of our visit – we can’t wait to book another.”
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Martin Simpson added that such finds are exceedingly rare:
“These discoveries date from a time when the Island was joined to the mainland. The coastal erosion in this case is actually doing some good by uncovering rare treasures.
On our trips it’s finders-keepers, although with rarities like this we always contact the relevant specialists to record the details.”
The remarkable discovery adds to the Island’s long-standing reputation as one of Britain’s most important locations for prehistoric finds.
Hope the family will donate it to a museum so everyone can see it.
It should be shared.