Just Finished Reading: Homo Britannicus – The incredible Story of Human Life in Britain by Chris Stringer (FP: 2006)

It seems that we Brits have been occupying the old homestead for quite a while. Humans were here over 600,000 years ago hunting, fishing and leaving artefacts scattered around just like today. But, naturally, things are much more complicated than that! For one thing the humans were not ‘us’, not Homo Sapiens. The earliest people to populate, at least temporarily, the British Isles were an off-shoot of humanity the Neanderthals. Now extinct they crossed from Europe across a land bridge – yes, the British Isles for a great deal of its history wasn’t actually an island – and settled in the sheltered areas of the southern and eastern coastal areas as various Ice Ages retreated north leaving comparatively lush landscapes and fertile hunting grounds behind it. But when the ice expanded again they left (or died) mostly to return when the ice moved north again hundreds or thousands of years later. However, rather bizarrely, it seems that for a considerable period Britain was essentially empty of human life. For thousands of years there is no evidence at all, at least none so far discovered, for human occupation. It’s quite a mystery where all the people went.

The idea of a land bridge is fascinating though – especially as we’ve 'always' been separated from the Continent for all of recorded history and beyond. The idea that we were physically connected to Europe by a not insubstantial ‘bridge’ is quite bizarre. Just imagine how different things would have been if the land bridge still existed. How so very different our history would be and how often we would have been invaded! But for that obviously cataclysmic event after the last Ice Age that destroyed the bridge forever the whole flow of European events would have taken a very different course. Geology determines History – discuss!

When Sapiens left Africa we took our time moving north and were comparative latecomers to Britain. Neanderthals were far better adapted to the cold it seems although Sapiens had a few tricks up their animal hide sleeves. From what little evidence exists it appears that Sapiens had a much better developed culture, far reaching trading partners and bigger tribal structures. It seems that, by and large, as the climate improved (for us) it pushed the Neanderthals to the edges and, finally, off them to oblivion. Whether we killed them or out competed them we may never know. But we are the only human species to make it this far.

It’s interesting to see that Britain was populated by elephants (and not just mammoths), hippo, hyena and more species associated with the African plain. It brings to mind how so many things we accept as the natural way of things are temporary and contingent. To envisage humans in that kind of environment hunting or scavenging in groups with stone axes and flint tipped spears whilst simultaneously being in what would be Kent makes you almost do a double take. But it’s true and we have the hard physical evidence to show it is. That the amazing thing revealed time and again throughout this slim volume. That accidental discoveries from the Industrial Revolution to this day have brought to light (often literally) evidence for human occupation in Britain and Europe going back over 1.5 million years. That’s amazing and when I read about human habitation in areas of Central Europe that far back I honestly took a sharp intake of breath. We’ve (in the genus Homo sense) been around in Europe for a VERY long time. As soon as the ice left we arrived, were forced out and came back again and again just to prove, if proof where needed, just how resilient we are. I didn’t really think that my delving into British and European history would be going quite this far back. I guess that I was (happily) wrong on that score. More digging to come no doubt.