01/09/2026
If archaeologists were around in the Neolithic, our tool kit might look something like this!🛠️
Flint tools have been some of our most common finds on site at Banbury. They may sometimes look unassuming, they provide us with a story about local heritage spanning thousands of years!
They are also our earliest evidence of human activity at our site, dating back more than 5000 years to the Neolithic (4000-2500 BC). At this time, most tools were made from stone, so you might also know it as the “Stone Age”.
We often find both worked (pieces crafted into tools) and non-worked (natural pieces of flint) pieces around site. So how do we check whether we’ve actually found an ancient tool or just a normal rock? There’s one characteristic we can always look for…
Rippled patterns are found on the surface of these tools because they were created through the process of “flint knapping.” This is when flakes are chipped off from a larger “core” stone and then shaped into a tool. The ripples are markings from the impact.
Below we have examples of a flake, a microlith, and scraper from Banbury. Can you spot the ripples? Let us know in the comments!
There were many different types of stone tools made during the Neolithic and all were specially crafted for specific uses! This includes knives and scrapers for processing animal hides and meat, axes for chopping wood, arrowheads for hunting. Some were even high status, decorative pieces designed as offerings or for use in ceremonies. The possibilities were endless!
MOLA is carrying out excavations at Banbury on behalf of David Wilson Homes.
