A retired fisherman has discovered an ancient stone head that experts say could be 24,000 years old — the oldest found in Britain.  Arthur Mack, 70, found the 5-inch stone head while he was walking off Long Island in Langstone Harbour, Hampshire (England).
     Archaeologists say the find could be a piece of Neanderthal art made by cave dwellers who were once thought too primitive for creative thinking. A similar stone head was found in a Neanderthal cave in northern France and was dated to 28,000 BCE.
     The ancient stone would have been carved into a face by a caveman thousands of years ago. Mr Mack, of Portsmouth, said: "There was a face poking out of the cliffs in some mud and it scared the living daylights out of me. I think the tide must have exposed it. I have found stone flints and axe heads before but nothing like this. It is a work of art and shows how much skill these ancient civilisations had." Mr Mack would now like the stonehead to be put in Portsmouth City Museum.

Sources: The Times, thenews.co.uk (2 October 2004)