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    Fascinating Flint

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    Wessex Archaeology
    Stone tools are the oldest technology first used in Africa 2.5 million years ago. Until metal was discovered, stone was the primary resource for making tools. In southern Britain flint has been used since the Palaeolithic (500,000 - 10,000 BC). Some was found in river gravels, some was mined from deep underground using antler picks and shovels made from cattle shoulder-blades.

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    Fascinating Flint

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    Wessex Archaeology
    2K views6 pages
    Stone tools are the oldest technology first used in Africa 2.5 million years ago. Until metal was discovered, stone was the primary resource for making tools. In southern Britain flint has been used since the Palaeolithic (500,000 - 10,000 BC). Some was found in river gravels, some was mined from deep underground using antler picks and shovels made from cattle shoulder-blades.

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    Stone tools are the oldest technology first used in Africa 2.5 million years ago. Until metal was discovered, stone was the primary resource for making tools. In southern Britain flint has been used since the Palaeolithic (500,000 - 10,000 BC). Some was found in river gravels, some was mined from deep underground using antler picks and shovels made from cattle shoulder-blades.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    2K views6 pages

    Fascinating Flint

    Uploaded by

    Wessex Archaeology
    Stone tools are the oldest technology first used in Africa 2.5 million years ago. Until metal was discovered, stone was the primary resource for making tools. In southern Britain flint has been used since the Palaeolithic (500,000 - 10,000 BC). Some was found in river gravels, some was mined from deep underground using antler picks and shovels made from cattle shoulder-blades.

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    At a glance
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    Stone tools were the earliest technology used by humans dating back 2.5 million years ago. Flint and other stones were used to make tools until the discovery of metals. Stone tool technology evolved significantly over time from hand axes to arrowheads.

    Early stone tools like hand axes evolved to include a wider range of tools like scrapers and microliths. Arrowhead designs changed from leaf-shaped to barbed-and-tanged. Metal tools eventually replaced stone tools.

    Flint was a primary material but other stones were used where flint was unavailable. Antler picks and cattle shoulder-blade shovels were used to mine and shape flint. Stone hammers were also used.

    Stone Tools

    Stone tools are the oldest technology


    first used in Africa 2.5 million years ago.
    Until metal was discovered, stone was
    the primary resource for making tools.

    In southern Britain flint has been used


    since the Palaeolithic (500,000-10,000 BC).
    Some was found in river gravels, some
    was mined from deep underground
    using antler picks and shovels
    made from cattle shoulder-blades. Late Palaeolithic
    12,000-10,000 BC
    Long Blades

    Palaeolithic
    Flakes

    Palaeolithic Palaeolithic
    Hand Axe Core

    In places where there was no flint,


    other stones could be used instead.

    Stone axes from Cumbria and Cornwall


    are found in Southern England.
    By analysing these it is possible to
    tell where they came from. Flint and
    stone tools were being traded from
    Bronze Age Flints
    2400-700 BC as early as 4000 BC.
    Design by K.Nichols Wessex Archaeology

    Wessex Archaeology
    'Lithic' means 'Stone'
    The style of stone tools changed over time.
    Mesolithic Early Neolithic Late Neolithic Early Bronze Age Late Bronze Age
    8500-4000 BC 4000-3000 BC 3000-2400 BC 2400-1800 BC 1200-700 BC

    Scraping Tools

    Arrowhead Arrowhead Arrowhead Arrowhead


    Leafshaped Oblique Chisel Barbed and Tanged

    Microliths

    Knife Knife Knife


    Blade Discoidal Plano Convex

    Axe

    Axe Axe

    Fabricator Piercer

    In the Mesolithic flint workers made a During the Bronze Age flint was
    wide range of tools and weapons using still used. The shape of arrowheads
    lots of small flints called microliths some changed from leaf-shaped to a
    only 2-4cm long. barbed-and-tanged design.

    In the Neolithic similar types of tools By the Iron Age stone tools had
    were made from single flints. largely become obsolete.

    Palaeolithic
    500,000BC-10,000 BC
    Design by K.Nichols Wessex Archaeology

    Wessex Archaeology
    Knapping Flint
    Two examples of how flint tools are made

    Knapping flint produces piles of


    waste flakes. Archaeologists examine
    them to see what sort of tools were being made.

    Stone hammers were


    made from very strong stone,
    and antlers were used to shape the flint.
    Design by K.Nichols Wessex Archaeology

    Wessex Archaeology
    Design by K.Nichols photos E.Wakefield Wessex Archaeology

    www.wessexarch.co.uk
    Neolithic 4000-2400 BC Mesolithic 8500-4000 BC
    Polished Axe Tranchet Axe

    Palaeolithic 500,000-10,000 BC
    Hand Axes
    Design by K.Nichols photos E.Wakefield Wessex Archaeology

    www.wessexarch.co.uk
    Design by K.Nichols photos E.Wakefield Wessex Archaeology

    www.wessexarch.co.uk

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