Star Carr is one of the most famous and important prehistoric sites in Europe.
Dating from the early Mesolithic period, over 10,000 years ago,
the site has produced a unique range of artefacts and settlement evidence.
First excavated in 1949–51 by Professor Grahame Clark of Cambridge University,
the site was buried in a deep layer of peat on the edge of prehistoric Lake Rixton.
The peat has preserved an incredible collection of organic artefacts,
including bone, wood and antler, as well as thousands of flint toots.
This has allowed archaeologists to build up a detailed picture of life on
the edge of the lake around 9000 BC.
New excavations have now revealed the remains of what may be
the earliest house ever found in Britain,
and have shown that the settlement stretched for several hundred metres along the lake shore.
This book tells the story of the discovery of Star Carr,
and brings it up-to-date with details of the current excavations.
It also discusses other important Mesolithic sites in Britain and Europe
and how these are transforming our view of life after the Ice Age.
