Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Archaeology on the Sea-bed: Marine Aggregate Dredging and the Historic Environment.

Wessex Archaeology

The British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA), as part of its commitment to ensuring the environmental sustainability of marine aggregates extraction, has initiated a project with the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) to ensure effective and practical consideration of the historic environment in the licensing of marine aggregate extraction.

This report is the result of one element of the project, being an attempt to clarify the potential for Lower / Middle Palaeolithic and Upper Palaeolithic / Mesolithic material upon and below the sea bed in areas of marine aggregate deposits. Other elements of the project include the preparation of maps broadly characterising marine archaeological potential in order to assist in the scoping of archaeological assessments, and the preparation of guidance on assessing, evaluating, monitoring and mitigating significant effects.