Prehistoric Flint Mines in Europe.

• Superior document: Union Internationale des Sciences Préhistoriques et Protohistoriques Series
• VerfasserIn: Bostyn, Françoise.,
• TeilnehmendeR: Lech, Jacek.; Saville, Alan.
• Place / Publishing House: Oxford : : Archaeopress,, 2023.; ©2023.
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Union Internationale des Sciences Préhistoriques et Protohistoriques Series
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (522 pages)

This volume offers a review of major flint mines dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. The 18 articles were contributed by archaeologists from Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden, using the same framework to propose a uniform view of the mining phenomenon.

Table of Contents

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright page -- Contents Page -- List of Figures and Tables -- Introduction -- Figure 1. Grimes Graves (England). End of July 1975. Aerial view from the Greenwell's Pit onto the south-west part of the mining field. Visible well-preserved shaft depressions surrounded by heaps of chalk debris. Shaft depressions and spoil-heaps cover -- Figure 2. Spiennes (Belgium). Camp-à-Cayaux. Occurrence of workshop artifacts on the surface of the site. View from the central part of the mining field to the south-east (A) and a close-up of a core (specimen on the left) found on the surface (B). June 2 -- Figure 3. Krzemionki Opatowskie flint mine site (Poland). July 2016. Flint workshop exposed on the surface of a mining field by heavy rain. Scale 20 cm. Photo and ©: J. Lech -- Figure 4. Models. A - Flint mine site as a unit of a simple settlement pattern. Model showing a standard relationship between Neolithic village with household clusters and a flint mine site with flint mine clusters. B - flint mine site: a model. After J. -- Figure 5. Krzemionki Opatowskie flint mine site (Poland). August 1979. Pit 4/606. Part of the underground chamber near the shaft bottom with pillar and limestone rubble from the underground spoil heaps. Photo and ©: J. Lech -- Figure 6. Krzemionki Opatowskie flint mine site (Poland). ALS picture, showing parabolic-shaped mining field of shafts and pits. After Krzemionki 2018, Fig. 2 -- Figure 7. Harrow Hill (England). 1982. 'Prehistoric Flint Mines Working Group' on the mining field during lunch time. J. Lech (on the left) visiting the site, in conversation with Sjeuf Felder (in the centre). Photo: G. de G. Sieveking.

Figure 8. Paris. September 2007. The first meeting of the first presidium UISPP Commission 'Flint Mining in Prehistoric and Protohistoric Times'. From left to right: Dr Françoise Bostyn the first president, Prof. J. Lech - her deputy, Alan Saville - a me -- Figure 9. Map of the mines presented in the book (the numbers correspond to the order of presentation): 1-La Defensola (Italy) -- 2- Rijckholt-Sint Geertruid (the Netherlands) -- 3- Spiennes (Belgium), 4- Grime's Graves (England) -- 5-Casa Montero (Madrid, Spa -- Chapter 1 -- Figure 1.1. Topographic location of the Defensola A area. Also other prehistoric mining evidences are located. Drawing: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.2. Geological map of the Gargano with location of the flint mines. After Delluniversità et al. 2019 -- Figure 1.3. Above: part of the artificial section created by earthmoving works in 1981 -- two levels of the Defensola A mine are visible. Middle: stratigraphical profile (axonometric view) of the same section, with the complex series of layers of mining deb -- Figure 1.4. Defensola A, area A5. Collapse of limestone slabs. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.5. Defensola A. A view of the track laid in gallery B. The archaeologists move along it lying on a trolley. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.6. Sub-horizontal mining system in compact formations and hilly environment. Drawing: M. Tarantini -- Figure 1.7. Defensola A, dump B. Left: view of the top of the slope dump formed by mining debris. Right: longitudinal section of the same slope dump. Photo and drawing: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.8. Defensola A. Map of the mine upper level. Drawing: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.10. Defensola A. Above: a stone dry wall (type B1) in the gallery M1. Below: another stone dry wall in the same gallery M1 (type A2). Photos: A. Galiberti.

Figure 1.9. Defensola A. Left: typology of the stone dry walls. Right: construction sequence of the types A1-A2. Drawings: M. Tarantini -- Figure 1.11. Defensola A, gallery N. Above: the stone dry wall plastered with limestone mud applied by hand pressure. Below: particulars of the same stone dry wall, with the imprints of hands and fingers. Photos: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.12. Map of the hypothetical main directions of exploitation of the mine during the two principal phases. Drawing: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.13. Extraction techniques for flint nodules in compact formations. Left: by 'collapse'. Right: with extraction step. Drawings: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.14. Defensola A, area A6. A short extraction step. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.15. Defensola A, area G. An extraction face with a large step. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.16. Defensola A, area A3. Extraction by 'collapse'. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.17. Picks and mallets from Defensola A. Drawings: A. Galiberti and G. Fabbri -- Figure 1.18. Picks and mallets from Defensola A. Photos: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.20. Defensola A, flint workshop area. Lithic industry with macro-wear analysis. Drawings: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.21. Vessel n. 133 left in its functional position in Defensola A. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.22. Vessel n. 169 left in its functional position in Defensola A. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.23. Some ceramics from Defensola A. Drawings: P. Bianchi and A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.24. Defensola A. Limestone lamps n. 115 in its functional position. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.25. Limestone lamps from Defensola A. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.26. Limestone lamps from Defensola A. Drawings: P. Bianchi -- Figure 1.27. Engravings from Defensola A. Schematic drawings. Drawings: M. Tarantini.

Figure 1.28. Engraving no. 1 in its context. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.29. Engraving no. 7 in its context. Photo: A. Galiberti -- Figure 1.30. Chronological data available for the Gargano Neolithic flint mines. Graphic elaboration: M. Tarantini with OxCal -- Figure 1.31. Distribution of C14 dates in Defensola mine. Graphic elaboration: M. Tarantini -- Figure 1.32. S. Marco mine. Map and sections (left) and a view of the interior along section C-D (right). Drawings and photo: M. Tarantini -- Figure 1.33. Arciprete mine. Above: localization of the geophysical surveys at Arciprete (on the left) and the entrance to the mine (on the right -- graphic elaboration by. C. Tessaro -- photograph by M. Tarantini). GPR survey, 400 MHz antenna: 3D axonometric -- Figure 1.34. Finizia shafts and picks (above and middle). Defensola B shaft (below, on the left) and sub-horizontal entrance (below, on the right). Drawings and photos: A. Galiberti -- Chapter 2 -- Figure 2.1. General map of the Rijckholt area, and its location in the Netherlands -- in red: rough extent of the prehistoric mining area. RCE -- Figure 2.2. East-west geological cross section of the Meuse (Maas) river valley, south of Maastricht. 1-3: Gulpen Formation: 1: Vijlen chalk, 2: Lixhe chalk, 3: Lanaye chalk -- 4: Maastricht Formation -- 5: Tongeren Formation -- 6-9: Beegden Formation: 6: St. G -- Figure 2.3. North-south geological cross section of the prehistoric mining area. Same legend as Figure 2.2. RCE, update of Felder et al. 1998, Figure 7 -- Figure 2.4. Generalised section of the flint-bearing strata in the flint mine area. RCE, after Felder et al. 1998, Figure 8 -- Figure 2.5. Nodule of Lanaye flint. De Grooth 2011, Figure 11 -- Figure 2.6. Map showing flint extraction sites and main geological outcrops in the Rijckholt region. De Grooth 2011, Figure 1.

Figure 2.7. Overview of archaeological investigations before 1964. Van Giffen 1953, Figure 1 -- Figure 2.9. Antler mining pick in the back-fill of a mining shaft from Van Giffens 1925 excavation on the plateau. Clason 1981, Figure 4 -- Figure 2.10. Cross sections of mining shafts 1, 4, 7, 9 and 10 and the west side of trench 1 from Waterbolk's 1964 excavation on the plateau. 1: chalk, 2: gravel, 3: flint, 4: loess, 5: calcareous loess. Waterbolk 1994, Figure 6 -- Figure 2.11. Members of the Prehistoric Flint Mines Working Group with Prof. H.T. Waterbolk (with helmet in hand). Photo Working Group -- Figure 2.12. a - Map of the Working Group's excavation -- b - Digitised map of the Working Group's excavation. RCE after Rademakers 1998, Appendix 1 -- Figure 2.13. Exploration tunnel with wooden props -- in the background prehistoric galleries and flint nodules. Rademakers 1998, Figure 63 -- Figure 2.15. Large-scale roof collapse in the tunnel. Photo Working Group -- Figure 2.16. Motor scooter winch operated by Sjeuf Felder. Photo Working Group -- Figure 2.17. Tunnel with steel props and conveyor belt. Photo Working Group -- Figure 2.18. Prehistoric gallery with the original fill of chalk rubble. Photo Working Group -- Figure 2.19. Cultural Heritage Agency study area: 1: Field survey 2008 -- 2. Field survey 2009 -- 3: Field survey 2010 -- 4: Field survey 2011. RCE -- Figure 2.21. Cultural Heritage Agency study area. 1: Resistivity -- 2: Magnetometer -- 3: Ground Penetrating Radar -- 4: Electro-Magnetic Induction. RCE -- Figure 2.22. Cultural Heritage Agency study area. 1: Trial trenches 2011 -- 2: Trial trenches 2012 -- 3: Trial trenches 2013. 4: Trial trenches Waterbolk 1964 RCE -- Figure 2.23. The excavations of Van Giffen (1923) and Waterbolk (1964) projected on the results of the RCE geophysical research. RCE.

Figure 2.24. Results of the geophysical research near Eijsderbosch (high pass filter). RCE.