This Is The Oldest Skull Ever Found In The Thames... You Can See It From Tomorrow

Will Noble
By Will Noble Last edited 61 months ago
This Is The Oldest Skull Ever Found In The Thames... You Can See It From Tomorrow

The frontal bone of a neolithic skull dating from 3600 BC goes on display at the Museum of London tomorrow (20 February).

Discovered recently by a mudlarker along the south bank, it's the oldest skull ever to be found in the Thames.

Radiocarbon dating of the bone shows it belonged to a young adult male, who would have died 5,600 years ago — over three and a half thousand years before the Roman settlement of Londinium was founded.

Dr Rebecca Redfern, Curator of Human Osteology at the Museum of London, said:

This is an incredibly significant find and we’re so excited to be able to showcase it at the Museum of London. The Thames is such a rich source of history for us and we are constantly learning from the finds that wash up on the foreshore

The skull fragment will be displayed at the Museum's of London's 'London before London' gallery, alongside other Neolithic finds discovered along the Thames foreshore.

All images © Museum of London.

Last Updated 19 February 2019