Excavation tool

The post-mining tool was found in Kocierz, the Gryfice district, on a site that is a part of a complex of workshops connected with high-quality flint mining and processing. It is the only Late Palaeolithic workshop excavated in Western Pomerania. The tool is made of chalk flint of very high quality. Initially, it was the so-called prismatic core used to produce elongated chips, which after the cessation of mining, it was reworked into this distinctive tool. Alterations included changing the shape of the sides and shaping the blade. The tool was attached to the handle with animal tendons or thongs. The too-tight wrapping resulted in the chipping of one of the edges. The maker intended to obtain a tool helpful in excavating lumps of flint. Its function is indicated by the way the edges are shaped, which is more characteristic of pickaxes and hoes (one-sided shaping) than of tools for working in wood (two-sided shaping). In the case of woodworking, such an edge would quickly be destroyed and useless, while it was of little importance during digging. The tool from Kocierz was probably not used very intensively. Apart from the damage to one of the sides, there are no visible traces, such as shiny surface or broken edge.

Michał Adamczyk