SCRAPER (TOOL)

Flint waste flake / debitage which has been utilised as a scraper probably dating from the Neolithic (3500 - 2100 BC). The flake is broadly sub-rectangular in plan and cross section. The flake has a clear bulb of percussion present and the opposite face has a series of hinge fractures. These fractures are positioned around a natural flaw within the matrix of the flint, and this piece may be a deliberate trimming flake to remove the flaws from the artefact. The flake itself comes from the final or tertiary phase of tool making as no cortex (the outer skin of a flint nodule) is present. Like many pieces of debitage / waste products this flake has been trimmed and the two long edges have received relatively crude retouch. The retouch (secondary working) is most extensive on the right hand edge and the facets are relatively small and irregular. The positioning of the retouch would suggest it being refashioned as a side scraper which could have been used to scrape, for example, hides during the processes of making leather. The flint is a pale grey colour. When held up to the light a number of flaws can be seen within the matrix. This suggests that it might have come from a riverine or glacial source rather than from an area where flint occurs more frequently. This type of utilisation of waste material is typical of the Shropshire area as sites for procuring flint are limited. The flake measures 29.1mm in length, 23.4mm width, is 7.9mm thick and weighs 3.38 grams.