Archeologists and palaeontologists say legislation needed to protect major finds championed by David Attenborough

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/1032214

Leading British archaeologists and palaeontologists are warning that one of the nation’s most significant palaeolithic sites is under threat because there is not enough legislation to protect it.

They are calling for changes to the law amid fears that crucial evidence at a site in the Cotswolds could be lost to the UK for ever.

It was there that ice-age mammoths in an extraordinary state of preservation were discovered, sparking excitement in 2021 from Sir David Attenborough and other experts.

The extensive remains of at least one juvenile, two young adult and six fully grown adult mammoths that roamed 200,000 years ago were unearthed at Cerney Wick, near Swindon, along with tools used by Neanderthals, who probably hunted these enormous beasts.

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Sources within the archaeological community told the Observer that their understanding was that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may be linked to the latest developments, perhaps hoping to acquire further mammoth remains and Jurassic fossils for the new Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi. The UAE has been acquiring exhibits, reportedly buying a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton for $31.8m in 2022.

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A drone photograph taken last Sunday suggests that the waterlogged quarry has been drained in advance of what some archaeologists fear will be a rushed search for finds.

  • AutoTL;DRBEnglish
    2•1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    DigVentures, a team of archaeologists who give the public opportunities to participate in excavations, dug the site and coordinated the analysis and research with leading experts in 2021.

    “Export licences would be difficult to implement in this case because they do not cover bones unless they are altered by human hand or are clearly cultural items.” She said that other potential finds, including five tusks, are already visible within the layers.

    Sources within the archaeological community told the Observer that their understanding was that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may be linked to the latest developments, perhaps hoping to acquire further mammoth remains and Jurassic fossils for the new Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.

    The excavations also uncovered the remains of other ice-age giants, such as bison, elks and bears, as well as seeds, pollen and plant fossils – including extinct varieties – that could reveal a great deal about the environment then and how our Neanderthal ancestors lived in a period of prehistory about which little is known.

    Garrod told the Observer this weekend: “When looking at something so complex – every grain of pollen or beetle wing case might tell us something – where finds range from the microscopic to, quite literally, mammoth in size, it takes a long-term, collaborative effort involving numerous stakeholders driven by expert knowledge and experience to fully understand the context.

    “To lose a site like this now, just as it’s starting to reveal its secrets, would be devastating – not just in terms of knowing what happened there a quarter of a million years ago, but also for understanding how climate change will affect our environment both now and in the future.”

    I’m a bot and I’m open source!