Abstract The fossil record of skeletons of small organisms, typically 1–3000 μm in size, extends into the deep Precambrian. Some of the earliest putative microfossils are prokaryotic organisms from the Archaean, while the earliest putative eukaryote microfossils are known from the Palaeo-proterozoic. Eukaryotic microfossils include unicellular forms such as foraminifera and radiolarians, and animals such as ostracods and conodonts. While widely applied to biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental investigations in geological contexts, microfossils have an increasing importance in archaeological and forensic studies. Their small size, skeletal robustness, remarkable range of morphologies, wide distribution and huge numbers in small samples have proved decisive in the provenance of archaeological and forensic evidence. Further, they provide environmental context for the increasing influence of humans on the landscape from Palaeolithic to Classical cultures.

Abstract Microfossils are found associated with building materials, ceramics, tools, works of art and human remains. Despite problems associated with the destructive preparation techniques required to examine microfossils, their size renders them important analytical tools as they can be recovered from small samples such as potsherds, tesserae and even chips of paint. Biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental analysis provides data that can be used to determine the provenance of raw materials and their transportation along trade routes, the migrations of agricultural practices, diet and culture. A more profound archaeological analysis can therefore be achieved by taking an integrated approach as outlined here.

Abstract Thin-section analysis of chalk tesserae obtained from two Roman mosaics in Caerleon (South Wales) identifies foraminifera of a Late Cretaceous (Campanian) biostratigraphic age. The mosaics from which the tesserae originated were laid either in or close to the legionary fortress built at Caerleon by the Romans in AD 74–75. The Backhall Street mosaic formed part of the Baths complex of the fortress and is dated to the AD 80s; the August Villa Garden tesserae were found close to Barrack Buildings IX and X of the fortress and may have been laid about AD 200. Chalk Group outcrops are not found close to Caerleon, so the chalk used in both instances must have been transported to the site. The foraminiferal analyses suggest a possible source in the Dorset area. A transport route from Dorset to the legionary fortress at Caerleon via ports at either Crandon Bridge or Sea Mills on the Severn estuary is suggested.

Abstract Given the great historical interest in the stratigraphical distribution of ostracods in Britain and the fact that they were long known to occur in rock-forming abundance in the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous ‘Purbeckian’ non-marine facies, the neglect of British Upper Jurassic marine ostracods is surprising. Nineteenth and early 20th century British workers showed little interest in the Upper Jurassic and, as discussed later, it was continental workers who were pioneers in this field at home in Germany and France, and who later initiated work on British sequences. Ostracods are both common and diverse in British Upper Jurassic marine sediments, and, although the following chapter can only provide an overview of the the most important taxa, it is hoped that it will encourage further investigation of spatial and temporal distribution patterns, especially including offshore sequences, to develop a more holistic view of Late Jurassic oceanographical and climatological environmental conditions.

Abstract The Neogene System of Britain and its surrounding continental shelf have received relatively little attention. This is due, in part, to their limited geographical distribution, relatively complex stratigraphy and unim-portance in terms of offshore hydrocarbons (Fig. 1 ). However, during the last decade, interest has grown as palaeontologists and climatologists work towards documenting and reconstructing the warmer climate of the Middle Pliocene ( Dowsett et al. 1992 ; Wood et al. 1993 ; Haywood et al. 2000, 2002 ), thus providing new insight into the mechanisms and effects of global warming ( Dowsett et al. 1999 ; Haywood & Valdes 2004 ). Onshore Miocene deposits are poorly represented, with the exception of the Lenham Beds, Kent, and the Trimley Sands, SE Suffolk. Wilkinson (1974, 1980) examined samples from the former site, but recovered no ostracods. Although Pliocene deposits are more common than Miocene in the British Isles, they are also of limited extent. Pliocene ostracods have only been described from two regions on the British mainland – the diminutive St Erth Beds, Cornwall, and the more extensive crags of eastern England. ‘Crag’ was an East Anglian dialect term for any sand rich in shells ( Moorlock et al. 2000 ). Taylor (1824) first applied this term in a strictly geological sense, although Funnell (1961) extended its use to all formations containing such deposits.