This book presents the results of field research and experimental archaeology on Neolithic flint axe production sites and flint mines in the Seine valley (west from Paris) between 2000 and 2010.

 

The first chapter discusses the research history, the cultural and chronological framework of axe production sites in the Paris Basin. The second chapter presents the research results and documentation.

 

The raw materials for the axe production came from the flint mines of Flins-sur-Siene, where Bartonien Flint was mined. This is the subject of the third chapter. The site was first identified in the 1920’s by amateur archaeologists. The data collected at Flins-sur-Seine (geological context, production waste, density of mine shafts) indicates that this mine is very similar to the mines at Jablines. However, no excavations had thus far been carried out at this site. The field research involved geophysical surveys and field walking which led to the identification of workshops and extraction sites.

 

Chapter 4 presents the results of experiments carried out with re-creating mineshafts in 2003. Chapter 5 presents results of other axe workshop sites in the area. These include excavations results and inventarisation of finds in museums. This chapter also discusses the use and findcontext of the axes. The final chapter is a synthesis and places the site in a wider contextual framework. The focus lies on other sites in the Paris basin, questions about territories, production/distribution sites. The technological system and its structuration in terms of specialisation and apprenticeship and its meaning among the regional Neolithic cultures.