Artist’s reconstruction of Site 3 at Happisburgh, Norfolk © John Sibbick/AHOB
Pathways to Ancient Britain (PAB) focuses on three chronological periods of human presence in the British Isles, from the earliest occupation through to extinction of the Neanderthals and the emergence of modern humans.
For each time span, the project focuses on specific sites that address key research questions relevant to the period.
- Pioneering populations: 1 million-500,000 years ago
- Successful colonisers: 500,000-300,000 years ago
- Emerging Neanderthals: 240,000-40,000 years ago
Pathways to Ancient Britain (PAB) is funded by the Calleva Foundation and involves a number of institutions.
Pathways to Ancient Britain is a successor to the earlier Ancient Human Occupations of Britain project funded by the Leverhulme Trust.
Project team
- Chris Stringer (Co-director)
Natural History Museum - Nick Ashton (Co-director)
British Museum - Rachel Bynoe (PDRA)
Natural History Museum - Mark Lewis (RA)
Natural History Museum - Simon Lewis (Co-investigator)
Queen Mary University of London - Simon Parfitt (Senior Researcher)
Natural History Museum and UCL - Beccy Scott (PDRA)
British Museum
Pioneering populations
Studying sites that were occupied from one million to 500,000 years ago, including Happisburgh in Norfolk.
Successful colonisers
Human occupation of the British Isles between 500,000 and 300,000 years ago, including Barnham, Suffolk.
Emerging Neanderthals
Excavations around the island of Jersey reveal human relatives that lived 240,000 to 40,000 years ago.
UK biodiversity research
We are creating molecular and digital tools to explore undiscovered biodiversity.
Fossil vertebrate research
Investigating the role of vertebrate evolution in shaping the history of life on Earth.
Palaeoanthropology collection
The UK's largest assemblage of fossil hominin remains.
Related information
Project associates
- Jean-Jacques Bahain, Institut Paléontologie Humaine
- Martin Bates, University of Wales, Trinity St. Davids
- Richard Bates, University of St Andrews
- Silvia Bello, Natural History Museum
- Ed Blinkhorn, University College London
- Tim Compton, Natural History Museum
- Chantal Conneller, University of Manchester
- Rob Davis, Queen Mary University of London
- Isabelle De Groote, Liverpool John Moores University
- Rob Dinnis, University of Edinburgh
- Justin Dix, University of Southampton
- Mike Field, Leiden University
- Claire Harris, British Museum
- Tom Higham, University of Oxford
- Peter G Hoare, Queen Mary University of London and the British Museum
- Dave Horne, Queen Mary University of London
- Louise Humphrey, Natural History Museum
- Kathy MacDonald, Leiden University
- Nigel Larkin, Freelance
- Marie-Hélène Moncel, Institut Paléontologie Humaine
- Marina Mosquera, Universitat Rovira i Virgili
- Andreu Ollé, Universitat Rovira i Virgili
- Sarah M Duffy, University College London
- Kirsty Penkman, University of York
- Dave Polly, Indiana State University
- Matt Pope, University College London
- Richard Preece, University of Cambridge
- Wil Roebroeks, Leiden University
- Andy Shaw, University of Southampton
- Fraser Sturt, University of Southampton
- Pierre Voinchet, Institut Paléontologie Humaine
- Tom White, University of Oxford
- John Whittaker, Natural History Museum