A series of markings on mud exposed by a storm in Norfolk have been identified as the earliest evidence of human footprints outside of Africa.
The footprints, which are more than 800,000 years old, were found on the shores of Happisburgh in May 2013 during a low tide. "At first, we weren't sure what we were seeing," said Nick Ashton, who has published an analysis of the prints in the journal
PLoS One, "but it was soon clear that the hollows resembled human footprints."
Shortly after being identified, the hollows were washed away - but not before they could be recorded on video and photographed, as well as scanned in detail. It's believed that they originate from five individuals - including one adult male and some children.
What's not so clear is who these humans were. A species called
Homo antecessor was known to have lived in southern Europe and may have made its way across the land bridge that existed between Britain and France at the time. Homo sapiens didn't arrive in the country until much later - about 40,000 years ago.
Ashton described his find as "one of the most important discoveries, if not the most important discovery that has been made on [Britain's] shores." He added: "It will rewrite our understanding of the early human occupation of Britain and indeed of Europe."