On the Palaeolithic site at Three Hills, Warren Hill, Mildenhall, Suffolk, England

Abstract

The Lower Palaeolithic site at Three Hills, Warren Hill, Suffolk, is noted for the abundance of artefacts recorded there since the middle of the 19th century. The interpretation of the geology and archaeology of this site has been the subject of controversy for several years. Is it the site of proglacial sands and gravels of the Tottenhill Glaciation or of a pre-Anglian river traversing the Fenland ? If the latter is the answer, the site provides evidence of Palaeolithic man in pre-Anglian times. A description of studies of the site and the two interpretations is given. The geology and a consideration of the place of Three Hills in the regional landscape history leads to the conclusion that Three Hills is a site of proglacial accumulation during the Wolstonian Tottenhill Glaciation. The origin of the Palaeolithic artefacts at Three Hills is considered and related to times of Palaeolithic occupation of the Fenland area in the early part of the Wolstonian Stage.