Britains the oldest Northern Europeans

Well not quite, more our hominid ancestors.

Superb 3D image of 800,000 year old flint.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2010/july/ancient-britons-were-earliest-northern-europeans72335.html

Just to let folk know, there have been many finds of hand axes along this streach of coast although it is mostly a sandy beach. I think in total there have been about thirty over many many years, the ones recorded by the Norfolk Historical Envionment Service have been illustrated by my fair hand in a forthcoming book on the history of Happisburgh (pronounced hayzebruh!) village, there are other archeaological illustrations of finds from the parish too. Highly recommended if I may say so myself!

If the axes are found on the beaches I wonder if they came from people living on land now covered by the sea, as water levels have risen considerably and just of Norfolk cement companies dredge the sea for flint on the sea bottom.

The hand axes are coming from the Cromer forest bed, this is an old river deta system visable at the base of the cliffs, on top of it is tons of glacial sand from the last ice age retreat.
In Current Archaeology issue 218 (may2008) there is a small article about a Dutch archeaologist, Jan Meulmeester, who recognised hand axes in agregates dredged from the North Sea about 8 miles off Great Yarmouth and 25 meters deep. The site is now protected with hopes for seabed excavation! These examples are dated to aroud 100,000 years BC.

The cement company where I lived has a hotline to Wessex Archaeology and whenever they make a find in the flint, give them a call. Apparently one time they found a complete mammoth tusk.