Preliminary characterization of flint raw material used on prehistoric sites in NW Belgium

Abstract

This study aims at analyzing the mineralogical, chemical, and structural characteristics of flint raw material used for the production of prehistoric stone tools in NW Belgium. Understanding these characteristics is important to recognize their value for tool making and even tool use during prehistory. Due to its formation process, flint is defined by a wide variety of internal structures, chemical variations, and impurities. Moreover, alteration processes cause additional chemical and structural changes complicating the study of this material. Archaeological artifacts often display alteration features, mostly expressed as patination or burning, leading them to be regularly discarded from the functional analysis of lithic tools. By not incorporating these artifacts, our understanding of the investigated assemblage is biased. It is therefore important to investigate the influence of flint characteristics on its weathering behavior, and the impact of preservation of prehistoric use‐wear traces on flint artifacts. The characteristics of flint raw material and natural patination were studied using a combination of different techniques, such as macroscopic analysis, optical microscopy, X‐ray fluorescence, and high‐resolution X‐ray computed tomography. This resulted in a detailed description and distinction of the different flint variants used on prehistoric sites in NW Belgium and a good understanding of patination.

Petrographic and SEM‐EDX characterization of Mousterian white/beige chert tools from the Navalmaíllo rock shelter (Madrid, Spain)

“…SEM‐EDX analysis was used to corroborate the features detected by petrography and to allow for more detailed observation of the alterations in the interior and on the surface of the lithic artefacts. Though studies have been published on postdepositional changes in cryptocrystalline lithic resources (Caux, Galland, Queffelec, & Bordes, 2018; Fiers et al, 2018) further study is needed to understand the causes and processes of alteration on tool surfaces and the patina that forms on chert.…”

Monte Carlo Simulation Aided Quantitative Laboratory X-ray Fluorescence Analysis and Its Application in Provenancing Studies for Geo-Archeological Samples

“…Geological Flint Samples. The geological flint samples were procured from various locations in northwestern Belgium and neighboring areas in France and the Netherlands during different field excursions 30 (Table 1). These locations are considered to represent possible supply sources for the prehistoric societies who lived in the Scheldt river basin.…”

“…Finally, the locally used pebble flint was taken into consideration, and flint samples were collected from the shores of the North Sea near Vlissingen (secondary context). Based on the previous bulk XRF results, 30 16 representative samples were selected to perform μXRF measurements (Table 1).…”

“…Although only limited research has been done on this topic so far in Belgium, recent research on Mons basin flints 14,23 confirmed the effectiveness of geochemical analysis to achieve this. In addition, in a previous paper, 30 we reported the results of XRF-analysis performed on geological samples of six different flint types from Northeast France, the Mons basin, and the beaches of the Scheldt estuary. Following the promising results of this study, a decision was made to expand the analysis by including archaeological samples to further assess the potential of XRF to discriminate between the flint types exploited in NW Belgium.…”

Quartzite procurement in conglomerates and deposits: Geoarchaeological characterization of potential catchment areas in the central part of the Cantabrian Region, Spain

“…As a result, at the beginning of the new millennium, raw material procurement studies have become an important source of data for understanding the economy of prehistoric societies and human mobility patterns. Numerous maps of dots and arrows illustrating the European continent have been drawn, which connect flint formations and archaeological sites in different Paleolithic frameworks (e.g., Fiers et al, 2019; Gurova et al, 2016; Moreau et al, 2016; Sánchez de la Torre et al, 2017; Tarriño et al, 2015). These studies, based on flint sourcing, also provide information connected with flint procurement strategies and mobility circuits.…”