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Wednesday, 5 January 2022

London Mammoth Map

I came across this on Twitter, and thought it worth sharing.  The London Mammoth Map, designed by a new project team from the Dept of Archaeology at UCL, led by Dr Matt Pope.  The map is designed to encourage young people to be more aware of the Quaternary heritage right on their doorsteps.  It's early days yet, and it sounds as if further funding has to be raised before the map can be refined -- but I hope the project continues and succeeds......  Many sites are not marked on the map at all in its current incarnation.

By the way, the mammoth symbol does not necessarily indicate that mammoth remains have been found at the points identified -- the symbol stands for Quaternary fauna in general  -- and that could include hippos, elephants. mammoths, hyenas, sabre toothed tigers etc etc.....  I suppose most of the finds are associated with gravel pits in the Thames terraces, exploited over the centuries in order to supply London's construction industry.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology-south-east/news/2021/jun/palaeolondon-exploring-our-citys-deep-past

6 comments:

Tony Hinchliffe said...

Wot, there may be sabre-toothed tigers, but....no bare-faced liars at UCL??

BRIAN JOHN said...

Beware -- there are dangerous beasts on the prowl over there. On the other hand, they may just be mythical.......

Tony Hinchliffe said...

Avuncular Uncle UCL......tongue - twisters galore....

Tony Hinchliffe said...

UCL's proud boast to be leaders in "disruptive thinking" may easily be misinterpreted as being economical with the truth on occasion....

BRIAN JOHN said...

The problem with big departments is that they contain a vast range of talents and personalities. Some staff members may be excellent scientists, and others may be charlatans. I'd be reluctant to tar all the members of a department with the same brush ... but one would hope for a corporate ethos and a departmental head strong enough to call the charlatans to account. They should be kicked out before they spread too much poison.

Tony Hinchliffe said...

'Disruptive thinking: UCL's mission is to discover the undiscovered and explore the unexplored' [UCL website]

There we are then: off to the backwoods of north Pembrokeshire with our rose - tinted spectacles and superior attitudes to learn how it was that the primitive stunted locals sought to pacify the Wessex colonial "white men" by humping their 'trophy' bluestones vast distances in humble obesiance.QED.