Nine-year-old Ben Witten never imagined that his childhood beach treasure hunt would lead to an extraordinary archaeological discovery. After all, he had always thought the “shiny flint rock” he found at Shoreham Beach in Sussex, England, was nothing more than a normal stone.

Little did he know, this seemingly ordinary stone was a Neanderthal hand ax carved between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago. “I was looking around, and I saw this shiny flint rock,” said Ben, who was six when he found the rock.

The hand axe Ben found at the beach compared to the size of a small coin. Photo by Emma Witten

“I just thought it looked different [from] all the other different pebbles and stones.” Intrigued by its unique appearance, Ben took it home, where it spent years in his room, often misplaced and then rediscovered during playful searches.

The realization of its true significanc, however, came during a recent visit to Worthing Museum in southern England. As Ben browsed the Stone Age exhibition, he noticed the small axes on display  and realized they bore a striking resemblance to his treasured rock. Excited, Ben and his mother, Emma, e-mailed photos of the artifact to James Sainsbury, the museum’s curator of archaeology. “When I saw the email saying ‘beach find,’ I thought, ‘Here’s another pebble,’” Sainsbury said. But upon seeing the photos, he quickly recognized the artifact’s significance.

Ben Witten, his hand ax, and James Sainsbury, curator of archaeology at Worthing Museum. Photo by Worthing Museum

The ax is a bifacial tool, the museum said, meaning it is the same on both sides, with minimal signs of wear. Crafted by Neanderthals — long-lost evolutionary cousins of modern day humans — the tool showcases the ingenuity of its creators. Neanderthals made such tools by chipping away at flint to form sharp, triangular edges, which they likely used for tasks like cutting, digging, butchering animals, or chopping wood.

“Neanderthal hand axes are rare in Sussex,” Sainsbury said. “This is the first to be found in years.  The question of how the ax ended up on Shoreham Beach remains a mystery. It might have surfaced during construction to strengthen the beach’s erosion defenses or been originally dropped by a Neanderthal. “The sea would have been further away than it is now. We don’t know exactly what the Sussex coast looked like back then,” Sainsbury said.

The nature of the find, being made by a young local boy on the beach, makes it doubly special.”

The Worthing Museum now proudly displays the ax, with Ben lending it to the institution. The young boy is thrilled. “I was really excited, my heart was beating really fast. I did want to keep it, but I felt like it would be better there than in my hands.”

Emma, his mother, was happy they were able to give it to the museum. “Seeing how it lit up the face of the archaeologist at the museum, it’s great that others can enjoy it.” For Sainsbury, he wants others to be inspired to do their own bit of treasure hunting. “I hope people realize that they don’t need specialist training to find interesting archaeology.”

@creswellcrags This is a hand axe, a stone tool most likely used for cutting things and butchering animals. This hand axe was made by a Neanderthal – one of the first people to ever visit Creswell Crags. Neanderthals came here between 40-60,000 years ago, meaning this is a fascinating piece of prehistory! #neanderthals #prehistory #archaeology #museum #stone #foryou #viral ♬ that funny feeling – 𝐥 𝐨 𝐯 𝐞 𝐲 𝐨 𝐮

Sources: Smithsonian Mag | BBC