EXCAVATIONS AT THE GLOBE PIT, GRAYS, ESSEX 201
Such is the importance of the Clactonian industry that when
the site, sectioned by Mr. Wymer, was visited in 1961 and appeared
that it was going to be. destroyed by building operations it was
decided to undertake excavations before the evidence was
destroyed. The results of this investigation are published below.
THE SITE
The area excavated was the outcrop into which Mr. Wymer's
sections 2 and 3 were dug. Over the original land surface is an
overburden of loamy gravel. This overburden became thicker
towards the Northern end of the section.
The overburden was removed exposing the old land surface,
the humus, loam and gravel being excavated from both sides of
the site, leaving a witness baulk in the centre (Section 1).
Every struck flake was measured and the depth at which it
was found recorded. After the gravel had been removed, the
baulk was taken down, thereby completely exposing the face at
right-angles to it (Section 2) (Fig. 1).
STRATIGRAPHY
Section 1
(a) Overburden.
(b) Humified loam with old land surface at top.
(c) Stony loam.
(d) Shingle.
(e) Gravel.
(f) Iron panned mass.
(g) Thanet sand.
Section 2
This section is as section 1.
The cutting away of the southern end has been caused by the
removal of Brickearth that was formerly banked against it.
The greatest concentration of struck flints occurred in the
shingle and the upper 9" of gravel. The variation in level of the
surface of the Thanet sand noted by Mr. Wymer can be seen in
his section 3. A depression in the Thanet sand had allowed the
gravel to slump down into the North end of the section. The
depression is probably due to an underlying solution hollow.
As Mr. Wymer had noted, the gravel tails off towards the
North, suggesting that the section dug was on the very edge of a
much larger gravel spread.
This fact, together with the ever increasing amount of over-
burden to the North, did not make the expansion of the section
to the North worthwhile.
THE FLINT INDUSTRY
280 struck flints were found in situ in the gravel.