The demonstration of human antiquity: three rediscovered illustrations from the 1825 and 1846 excavations in Kent's Cavern (Torquay, England)

White, M.J.; Pettitt, P.B.

doi:10.1017/s0003598x00098975

The demonstration of human antiquity: three rediscovered illustrations from the 1825 and 1846 excavations in Kent's Cavern (Torquay, England)

White, M.J.; Pettitt, P.B.

Authors

Professor Mark White mark.white@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Professor Paul Pettitt paul.pettitt@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

The authors disentangle the fascinating tale of the investigations in Kent's Cavern, iconic site for the acceptance of early man. The drawings they have discovered in the archives of the Geological Society are the only ones known from the earliest excavations and they are published here for the first time. As this paper shows, it takes intellectual courage to be an archaeologist. Whatever the enormity of his challenge to contemporary religion, I like to think that MacEnery would have been fairly supported by Antiquity's reviewing system. But perhaps our doctrinal challenges are lesser ones.…

Citation

White, M., & Pettitt, P. (2009). The demonstration of human antiquity: three rediscovered illustrations from the 1825 and 1846 excavations in Kent's Cavern (Torquay, England). Antiquity, 83(321), 758-768. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003598x00098975

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Sep 1, 2009
Deposit Date	Oct 13, 2010
Publicly Available Date	Dec 8, 2011
Journal	Antiquity
Print ISSN	0003-598X
Electronic ISSN	1745-1744
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	83
Issue	321
Pages	758-768
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003598x00098975
Keywords	Britain, Kent's Cavern, Palaeolithic, Early man.