RETOUCHED FLAKE

Three retouched flint flakes of probable Late Neolithic to Bronze Age date, c. 3000-1600 BC.

Two are made from secondary flakes and one is tertiary.

Flake 1 is made from a secondary flint flake that has a thin orangey red pebble cortex the flint of which is a dark grey colour with mottled white inclusions. It is trapezoidal in plan with its distal end being diagonal and curved. The dorsal surface has one earlier flake removal removing some of the cortex and has sub-parallel, low-angled retoutch on its left edge as seen from the dorsal surface. The ventral surface is plain with no bulb of percussion and very diffuse and shallow conchoidal ripples. It was probably intended to be used as an ad hoc scraper using a piece of debitage. It measures 22.1mm long, 15.0mm wide and 5.6mm thick. It weighs 2.33 grams

Flake 2 is made from a secondary flint flake that has a shallow and diffuse orangey red cortex. The flint is a very darky grey colour with mottled white and brown inclusions. It is trapazoidal in plan. The dorsal surface has one, possibly two, earlier flake removals removing some of the cortex. Approximately two thirds down the length of the left edge as seen on the dorsal face is short- irregular, semi-abrupt re-touch that leaves a jagged surface . The ventral surface is plain with a medium sized bulb of percussion, a percussion (eraillure) scar and occasional almost flat conchoidal ripples running from it indicating the use of a soft hammer. It measures 30.2mm long, 18.5mm wide and 8.0mm thick. It weighs 3.52 grams. It was probably intended to be used as an ad hoc scraper using a piece of debitage however the re-touch was is too jagged to allow this possibly due to imperfections in the flint.

Flake 3 is made from a tertiary flint flake. The flint is a medium dark grey colour with mottled white and brown inclusions. It is trapezoidal in plan. The dorsal surface has at least three earlier flake removals. Approximately two thirds down the length of the left edge as seen on the dorsal face is probable very short, parallel, semi-abrupt re-touch that leaves a jagged surface . The ventral surface is plain with a medium sized bulb of percussion, and diffuse almost flat conchoidal ripples running from it indicating the use of a soft hammer. It measures 22.8mm long, 21.4mm wide and 5.6mm thick. It weighs 2.32 grams. It may have been intended to be used as an ad hoc scraper using a piece of debitage however the re-touch is very short and may also be the result of crushing to the edge rather than any human re-working of the flake.

The assemblage weighs 8.17 g in total.

They have been found near other debitage flakes indicating narrow blade manufacture (SOM-726A36) and one probable Early Bronze Age scraper (SOM-71F1F7). They have also been found near four flakes of burnt flint (SOM-728950). Blade technology is typically indicative of Neolithic activity whilst the burnt flint and thumbnail scraper suggests an Early Bronze Age date. The re-use of debitage here and the coarseness of the tools is also characteristic of the Bronze Age onwards. Therefore this assemblage is likely to date from the Late Neolithic (starting c.3000 BC) to the Early Bronze Age (ending 1600 BC).