ABSTRACT
In this chapter and the author look in detail at the Clactonian in its historical context. It shows that time and again Palaeolithic archaeologists throughout the last century conflated description with explanation. Chandler's 1928-29 paper is important as it was the first time anybody had associated the Lower Gravels at Swanscombe with the newly named Clactonian. If the 1920s gave the Clactonian a name as well as a personality, then the 1930s would see it grow into maturity as a world-wide phenomenon, once again as a result of Breuil, who by now was at the height of his fame. It was the insights from the Jaywick Sands excavations that led to the assignment of formal stage names to the various Clactonian deposits. Throughout this chapter, the author have made a point of trying to show how theoretical beliefs constantly manipulated the perception of the Clactonian.
