An example of novice flintknapping in the British Late Upper Palaeolithic?
Excavations in 2013 in advance of new building work at Guildford Fire Station resulted in the discovery of a rare British example of a well-preserved Late Upper Palaeolithic open air site. The worked flint was in exceptionally fresh condition and preliminary assessment indicated that extensive refit...
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| Format: | Book section |
| Language: | English |
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Schnell & Steiner
2021
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| Summary: | Excavations in 2013 in advance of new building work at Guildford Fire Station resulted in the discovery of a rare British example of a well-preserved Late Upper Palaeolithic open air site. The worked flint was in exceptionally fresh condition and preliminary assessment indicated that extensive refitting of artefacts and other studies such as microwear analysis would be possible. Subsequent work by the authors confirmed this observation and demonstrated that the flint assemblage was homogeneous and contained all stages of blade manufacture, and also evidence for the use and discard of tools. Two main knapping foci were identified which appear to have been linked to the presence of at least two skilled flint knappers. Of additional interest was the recognition near to one of these foci (Concentration 1) of a small refitting scatter of debitage apparently produced by a relatively unskilled knapper. Spatial analysis combined with refitting data suggest that this small group might indicate the presence on site of a novice learner alongside that of a more experienced flintknapper. |
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