Early Prehistory

The land that is now England was first inhabited by humans nearly a million years ago and for all but the last few thousand years people lived by hunting and gathering, relying on stone tools for many tasks. This span of deep time covers two geological epochs, the Pleistocene (characterised by a succession of glacial and interglacial periods) and the early Holocene (the start of the present interglacial period), which correspond to two major periods of prehistory, the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic.

Although large structures and monuments are generally absent there is considerable evidence from these periods of human activity in the form of artefacts, deposits and palaeoenvironmental remains, but they may be hard to identify, record and date. Historic England’s suite of guidance and accompanying case studies, as set out here, is designed to assist curators, consultants and contractors in implementing best practice approaches to sites of these periods, as well as some later lithic sites.