"Our most distant past has no written records and must be discovered through detailed study of artefacts together with archaeological excavation. What survives is just a tiny proportion of the artefacts and structures which once existed. By analysing objects in the context of the site on which they were found, we can begin to understand the way of life of early societies. With the exception of the hand axes, the special objects presented here are not simply functional. They invite us to consider the less ordinary aspects of peoples' lives, their social relationships and beliefs."*

*Quotation from 'Early European Prehistory' text displayed in The British Museum.