Little Boy Finds Neanderthal Hand Ax

Little Boy Makes a Stone Age Discovery!

In a delightful twist of archaeological fortune, 9-year-old Ben Witten proved that sometimes the best archaeologists come in small packages. While most kids bring home seashells and pretty pebbles from the beach, young Ben managed to snag himself a genuine Neanderthal hand ax - talk about an upgrade from the usual beach souvenirs!

Little Big Man - Ben

The Accidental Discovery

Our young hero was doing what kids do best - poking around Shoreham Beach in West Sussex - when a particularly shiny piece of flint caught his eye. Unlike most children who might have tossed it back, Ben kept his "special stone" in his room, where it played an ongoing game of hide-and-seek with its finder.

The "Aha!" Moment

The plot thickened when Ben visited Worthing Museum's Stone Age exhibition. Looking at the displays, he had that classic cartoon lightbulb moment - his bedroom decoration bore an uncanny resemblance to those ancient tools behind the glass.

The Expert's Double-Take

James Sainsbury, the museum's curator of archaeology, initially thought "Oh great, another beach pebble" when he received Ben's email. But upon seeing the photos, his jaw probably hit his desk - this wasn't just any old rock, but a genuine Neanderthal hand ax, aged between 40,000 and 60,000 years old!

A Truly Rare Find

This isn't just any old stone tool - it's so rare that even professional archaeologists with their fancy degrees might spend their entire careers without finding one. The bifacial ax (fancy talk for "same on both sides") shows barely any signs of wear, making it the archaeological equivalent of finding a mint-condition baseball card.

The Plot Twist

Nobody's quite sure how this ancient tool ended up on modern-day Shoreham Beach. Maybe it surfaced during beach construction, or perhaps a forgetful Neanderthal dropped it while out for a prehistoric stroll. The coastline looked quite different back then - no beach umbrellas or ice cream stands in sight!

The ax is now enjoying its moment of fame at Worthing Museum before returning to its young discoverer. Who knows? Perhaps Ben has a future career in archaeology - he's already got a better track record than most professionals!