Tools thought to have once belonged to Neanderthals have provided new insight into their lives, suggesting they were "sophisticated" huntsmen, it was revealed today.

Archaeologists from University College London (UCL) have discovered artefacts at a site known as Beedings, near Pulborough, which they believe show the species was more technologically advanced than previously thought.

The excavation, which has been funded by English Heritage, has been taking place since February and has uncovered tools that are believed to have been used by Prehistoric man to hunt game such as reindeer, bison and mammoth up to 42,000 years ago.

Dr Matthew Pope of UCL's Institute of Archaeology, who led the dig, said: "The exceptional collection of tools appears to represent the sophisticated hunting kit of Neanderthal populations which were only a few millennia from complete disappearance in the region.

"Unlike earlier, more typical Neanderthal tools these were made with long, straight blades - blades which were then turned into a variety of bone and hide processing implements, as well as lethal spear points.

"The impression they give is of a population in complete command of both landscape and natural raw materials with a flourishing technology - not a people on the edge of extinction."

The excavation is the first modern investigation of the site since it was originally discovered in 1900 when around 2,300 preserved stone tools were found in fissures in the foundations of a house that was being built.

It was not until recently, however, that their significance was fully realised.

More than 80 years after they were discovered, Dr Roger Jacobi of the British Museum found that the fact that the tools contained large numbers of long, straight-sided blades which had been thinned at each end, suggested they had been used as spear tips.

He realised that the tools were technologically similar to those excavated at a number of north European sites, which had been found to date back to between 35,000 and 42,000 years ago.

Now the collection is recognised as the most diverse and extensive of any found in northern Europe, offering the most effective insight into the species which occupied the area before our own.

Dr Pope added: "There were some questions about the validity of the earlier find, but our excavations have proved beyond doubt that the material discovered here was genuine and originated from fissures within the local sandstone.

"We also discovered older, more typical Neanderthal tools, deeper in the fissure. Clearly, Neanderthal hunters were drawn to the hill over a long period time, presumably for excellent views of the game-herds grazing on the plains below the ridge."

The excavation, which has been carried out with the help of experts from Sussex Archaeological Society and Worthing Archaeological Society, was funded by English Heritage after they learnt the site was under threat from intensive farming.

Barney Sloane, Head of Historic Environment Commissions at English Heritage, said: "Sites such as this are extremely rare and a relatively little-considered archaeological resource. This study offers a rare chance to answer some crucial questions about just how technologically advanced Neanderthals were, and how they compare with our own species."

Findings from the project have suggested that the site may not be unique.

Similar sites with comparable fissure systems are thought to exist across the whole of south east England and the project now aims to prospect more widely across the region for others.