Spotted Hyena Jaw And Upper Paleolithic Leaf Point

Found in Bench Fissure Quarry, Brixham in 1885 and Carbon dated to 37,500 years old.

The Jaw was discovered directly overlying the leaf point (right) which was probably used as a head for a primitive spear.

Weapons of this type appear in the British Upper Palaeolithic when the Neanderthal population of Europe was on the decline and becoming replaced by Homo sapiens (anatomically modern humans).

These tools are associated with both groups, though it is likely that this was a Neanderthal tool.