Old Tench and Pike

I watched a Time Team programme about stone age hand axes and flint napping in Suffolk. I have a interest in this as in my area of Essex two of the lakes that I fish which are sand pits have produced over a dozen stone axes between them which are kept in the British museum. In the programme they washed out some of the clay deposits and found a pharyngeal tooth from a Tench and a pikes tooth 400,000 years old very old fish indeed. I hope one day to find a hand axe I have found a few fossil images on flints whilst looking the best a sea urchin which my grandson has on his windowsill.

They're only babies Tinker, pike are thought to have been around for over 65 million years..........

barbelboi said:

They're only babies Tinker, pike are thought to have been around for over 65 million years..........

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What surprised me was that these were actual teeth not fossils. What they were looking for were voles teeth to date the geology all clever stuff.

Pike look a bit prehistoric to me. I often wonder why these fish and animals have not changed much over all this time. they can still recognize that its a Pike or a Bear etc even though they can be millions of years old.
I was fishing on the Romney Marshes a few months ago and there was a bank behind me that some badgers had borrowed into. The earth outside the burrow was full of sea shells although I was a couple of miles inland. These marshes were covered by the sea once. Those shells must have been pretty old but, they were perfect in all their detail.

markg said:

Pike look a bit prehistoric to me. I often wonder why these fish and animals have not changed much over all this time. they can still recognize that its a Pike or a Bear etc even though they can be millions of years old.
I was fishing on the Romney Marshes a few months ago and there was a bank behind me that some badgers had borrowed into. The earth outside the burrow was full of sea shells although I was a couple of miles inland. These marshes were covered by the sea once. Those shells must have been pretty old but, they were perfect in all their detail.

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I have definite interest in this sort of thing and if I had not been so wrapped up in angling of all kinds over the years it could well have been for me. There is a dig not two hundred yards from my house that the London museum open up from time to time it contains bronze age and roman occupations. It sits between two river courses and covers a large area of land. they just recently discovered some roman kilns used for making pottery from the local clay.

tiinker said:

I have definite interest in this sort of thing and if I had not been so wrapped up in angling of all kinds over the years it could well have been for me. There is a dig not two hundred yards from my house that the London museum open up from time to time it contains bronze age and roman occupations. It sits between two river courses and covers a large area of land. they just recently discovered some roman kilns used for making pottery from the local clay.

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It can be fascinating, I used to have an old metal detector that I used to have a mooch around with while beach fishing. I always came across plenty of weights and traces, in fact I cannot remember the last time I had to buy any of these. I once heard of a chap down Brighton way who came across a gold sword handle encrusted with jewels and he took it into a museum and the bloke nearly fainted. It belonged to a Saxon king or prince or something and there was only one other example known. Never had that sort of luck but, it is good way to pass a bit of time when the fish are not biting. However, you need a bit of patience. Not quite the same thing as archeology but, you never know what you might come across.

markg said:

It can be fascinating, I used to have an old metal detector that I used to have a mooch around with while beach fishing. I always came across plenty of weights and traces, in fact I cannot remember the last time I had to buy any of these. I once heard of a chap down Brighton way who came across a gold sword handle encrusted with jewels and he took it into a museum and the bloke nearly fainted. It belonged to a Saxon king or prince or something and there was only one other example known. Never had that sort of luck but, it is good way to pass a bit of time when the fish are not biting. However, you need a bit of patience. Not quite the same thing as archeology but, you never know what you might come across.

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Sue has always wanted one of them every Christmas I think get her a metal detector one day I will. They reckon old foot paths can be productive. I have never seen anyone using one in this area. I did a bit of a look see to see why this area turn up so many hand axes. The reason is that a mile or so inland from where the Thames is now was the extremity of the ice and the hunting parties of early man worked their way along this area The most southerly point of the ice was in Hornchurch they found the geological evidence for this when they cut the railway cutting between Dagenham and Upminster all clever stuff. In another pit at sandy lane Averly they found lots of mammoth remains and down on the Thames at Rainham you can walk on a petrified forest at low water.

If she is willing maybe you could think about buying one. Mine was a cheap one which cost £75 but, it paid for itself many times over. Over about 7 years I must have had over a £1000 in coinage, 20 or 30 gold and silver rings, untold watches and lots of fishing tackle, countless old pennies. Mine did not have a discrimination facility for cheap metal so, ring pulls were a big problem on a beach but, if you pay more you can have this facility. I imagine the whole Thames area must be a very good place for historical artifacts. The oldest thing I found was a halfpenny from 1698 I think it was and I found this on a path if I remember rightly. Very badly worn but, nice to have. Certainly worth thinking about and it can be a very absorbing hobby for someone with time and patience.