Prismatic chipboard core

The prismatic core from Kocierz, the Gryfice district, comes from a site that was part of a complex of workshops connected with the high-quality flint mining and processing. It is the only Late Palaeolithic workshop excavated in Western Pomerania. The name "prismatic core" comes from the characteristic shape of cores of this type, resembling a cylindrical prism with oblique bases. It was made of local, very high-quality chalk flint, which occurs in moraine formations in the Kocierz area. It is characterised by full mortar, which means that before mining - obtaining the semi-raw material - all flint lump surfaces were shaped adequately by removing the external natural surface called bark. The elongated, straight and regular chips, the semi-raw material for tool making, were struck with a soft pestle like an antler. The preserved traces allow us to assume that a very experienced maker produced the core from Kocierz. All the activities related to preparing the lump, breaking off the chips, refreshing the surface and repairs were carried out very precisely, with great attention to detail. The shape of the core and the manner of its exploitation are typical of the population of the Late Palaeolithic Ahrensburg and Swiderian cultures, which despite their considerable distance, remained in contact allowing different groups of hunter-gatherers to exchange raw materials and experiences.

Michał Adamczyk