Leaf-shaped in profile with rounded cutting edge, old inked find spot 'St Meme FR'; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 470 grams total including stand, axe: 14.5 cm



From the well regarded long closed quarry site of St Meme, Charente, France. From an old large Belgian collection. Acquired on the European art market. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Attributed to Homo Heidelbergensis.

A light brown flint core with blade removals from around the whole. 58 grams, 68 mm



Found Sougy, Loiret, France. Acquired in the 1970s-1990s. From the collections of J.R Vircoulon. Acquired on the UK art market. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Knapped implement showing some cortex to the upper edge, inked collector's note '2. SS1236 Twydall'. 76 grams, 64 mm



Found Twydall, Kent, UK, 1912-1915. Richard Jones collection, Welling, Kent, UK, 1912-1915. Ex Rochester Museum, Kent collections. Specialist collection of J Edwin Jarvis. Ex Martin Schoyen collection, London, UK. Accompanied by a copy of an article on the site at Twydall and collections list. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

These tools were part of the collection that was originally donated by a Mr Richard Jones of Welling in Kent to the Rochester Museum. During the period 1912-1915. Mr George Payne of the Kent Archaeological Society also collected along with a Mr George Baker. During 1902 'Sharpes Green Cement Works' was erected, then the smallest cement works on record, using second hand equipment and the last to use Static Chamber Kilns. The processing site was situated on the south shore of the river Medway near Gillingham, Kent, on an island known locally as "Horrid Hill" just off the shore. Horrid Hill was so named because French prisoners of the Napoleonic war who attempted to escape the 'Hulks' moored on the river were hanged here for their efforts. The raw material for the manufacture of cement was extracted from a local quarry in orchard grounds belonging to a Mr Walter Stunt of Lorrendon, Faversham, Kent at a place called Twydall between Chatham and Upchurch. During the removal of the chalk an infilled cavity was broken into on the eastern face of the quarry, which contained very rich lower Palaeolithic material. To facilitate the removal of the extracted chalk from the quarry to the works on the river a trackway was constructed to allow a small horse drawn railway to carry wagon loads of chalk for processing. To transport the loads over the tidal saltmarsh from river bank to the island a causeway was built above the upper tidal limit to the works. The material used was the gravel extracted at the quarry which was useless for the manufacture of cement and which contained the implements. The subsequent erosion caused by the tidal flow of the river exposed the Palaeolithic implements along the stretch of the causeway and, during the period of 1912 to 1915, were collected from the surface. The majority of the material is made up of flakes and cores typical of the 'Clactonian' style with also some Acheulian axes. The implements are well retouched and worked on thick, heavy flakes with high angle platforms, typical of the 'Clactonian' industry. The tools are made from the same marbled north Kent flint which was used at the Swanscombe Palaeolithic site from the ancient lower gravels of the Thames valley. This flint is typically a brown and yellow banded variety derived from the dark green skinned nodules of the "Bull Head" bed which underlies the Thanet sands.

Two leaf-shaped knapped blades, one with remains of old early 20th century label to verso. 30.7 grams total, 8.7-11.9 cm



From an old West Country, UK, collection, sold at auction. From the private collection of a West Midlands lady collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Lentoid in section and piriform in plan with broad cutting edge. 481 grams, 13.5 cm



Found North Africa. Acquired on the UK art market. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Five scrappers knapped in light to dark drown flint, one round, others ovate. 43.4 grams total, 27-38 mm



Found Thames Valley in the 19th century. From an antiquarian Palaeolithic study collection, Shropshire, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

A lozenge-shaped knapped arrowhead in pale brown flint. 1.09 grams, 28 mm



Found Thames Valley in the 19th century. From an antiquarian Palaeolithic study collection, Shropshire, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Two hard hammer struck knife blades, one with old collector's label: 'SCRAPER / THAMES VALLEY'. 46.1 grams total, 58-72 mm



Found Thames Valley in the 19th century. From an antiquarian Palaeolithic study collection, Shropshire, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

A quartzite hand tool of remarkable size and weight; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.3 kg total including stand, axe: 21 cm



Found Garonne, France. Ex famous UK musician and amateur archaeologist, Victor Brox (1941-2023). Acquired on the UK art market. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Attributed to Homo Heidelbergensis.

Finely knapped on all four edge in light brown flint, with inked old collector's inscription to verso: 'ST ACRES / 136'. 26.7 grams, 57 mm



Found near Fakenham, Norfolk, UK. Ex collection of P James, South England. Acquired on the UK art market. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Comprising: a tongue-shaped scraper with label '206'; an ovate type with traces of cortex, labelled '53'; an ovate type with narrow butt, labelled '55'. 120 grams total, 52-66 mm



Found various sites in France. From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

A group of thirty barbed Neolithic light tan chert arrowheads. 23 grams total, 14-28mm

Fine condition.

From the Petra Berhout collection; previously in a 1930s Dutch collection. From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.