Prehistoric Britain at Natural History Museum

A new exhibition – Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story – shows life as it was in a lost, prehistoric world.

NHMMA2Long before the Romans, Saxons and Vikings shaped Britain, the country was an astonishing Neanderthal land. The latest scientific techniques and life-size models displayed in Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story at the Natural History Museum bring rarely seen specimens to life so that visitors can get an extraordinary insight into what the country was like a million years ago. Travel back in time to unearth a lost world where mammoths, elephants and rhinos roamed freely.

Many of the objects on display in Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story have never been exhibited publicly before. Visitors will come face-to-face with life-size Neanderthal models and see some of the extraordinary creatures that were hunted by early human pioneers, including rhinos and giant deer.

Hoxnian-antlersMAWhile human fossils are rare, ancient Britons left behind tools and animal bones that offer intriguing clues about their behaviour. By analysing this trail of evidence, a 50-strong team of archaeologists, palaeontologists and geologists from more than 20 institutions have come together to unlock the secrets of our ancient past.

The exhibition showcases more than 200 specimens and unique archaeological treasures, including specially commissioned life-size models of a Neanderthal and a Homo sapiens. Look out for the Swanscombe skull from the earliest known Neanderthal in Britain, and the Clacton spear, the oldest wooden spear in the world.

This is a powerful telling of the story of how humans lived their lives in Britain over the last million years.

Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story at the Natural History Museum, 13 February – 28 September.

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