The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Selection of flint nodules, first step of the chaîne opératoire: data from ST6 Neolithic mine (Spiennes, Belgium) ...

Shaft ST6, exploited during the Middle Neolithic II (4200-3600 BCE), is the last extraction feature of flint excavated according to the most recent planned research at Petit-Spiennes. The objectives of this study are to determine the criteria used by Neolithic miners to select blocks in shaft ST6. It also aims to estimate the impact of flaws in raw material on the selection process (in particular extensional fractures), as well as any variability between the beds mined. Furthermore, the presence of hammerstones, flakes and some roughouts in the underground mining works raises the question as t... Mehr ...