Flint and pyrite:Making fire in the Stone Age

Flint implements with rounded ends, excavated at several Upper Palaeolithic sites in Denmark and Holland, are interpreted as strike-a-lights used in combination with pyrites. Experimental flints employed int his way show use-wear traces similar to those on the prehistoric specimens. It is suggested...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Stapert, D, Johansen, L
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 1999
Subjects:
Palaeolithic
fire production
strike-a-light
pyrite
experimental archaeology
use-wear traces
Europe
Greenland
Flint
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11370/802668b2-6cd5-4bbe-ae1a-c3b53c501556
https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/flint-and-pyrite(802668b2-6cd5-4bbe-ae1a-c3b53c501556).html
Description
Summary:Flint implements with rounded ends, excavated at several Upper Palaeolithic sites in Denmark and Holland, are interpreted as strike-a-lights used in combination with pyrites. Experimental flints employed int his way show use-wear traces similar to those on the prehistoric specimens. It is suggested that the pyrite technique for fire production predates wood-on-wood techniques, at least in Europe and in Greenland.

Similar Items