Understanding Britain’s Early Human Past
Dr Rob Dinnis recently spoke to BBC Radio 4’s Inside Science programme, which presented results from a decade-long research project that has shed much light on the settlement of Britain by early humans.
The Ancient Human Occupation of Britain (AHOB) project has changed how we understand Britain's very early human past answering questions such as; when did the ancient inhabitants of Britain get here, who were they, and how do we know?
The project, which was supported by the Leverhulme Trust and directed by Prof. Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum, brought together researchers from museums and universities across Britain and beyond with expertise in a range of related disciplines, including archaeology, geology, palaeontology and scientific dating.
Radiocarbon dating
During the broadcast on 2nd January 2014, Dr Dinnis, who worked with other members of the AHOB team based at the Oxford radiocarbon laboratory, discussed how the development of new techniques in radiocarbon dating has changed the way we interpret the past and improved our understanding of events around 40,000 years ago - a time when Europe's last Neanderthals were replaced by modern humans.