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Högberg, A.; Olausson, D. & Hughes, R., 2012. Many Different Types of Scandi-
navian Flint – Visual Classification and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence.
Fornvännen 107. Stockholm.
Anders Högberg,
Archaeology, School of Cultural Studies, Linnaeus University, SE–391 82 Kalmar
anders.hogberg@lnu.se
Deborah Olausson
Dept of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University
deborah.olausson@ark.lu.se
Richard E. Hughes
Geochemical Research Laboratory, Portola Valley, California
rehughes@silcon.com
South Scandinavian flint as a raw material for dies of the provenance of flint and interpreta-
prehistoric tool manufacture has been investigat- tions of prehistoric transport concern the exten-
ed in several studies. The focus has been on flint sive finds of flint objects, chiefly flint axes, from
types and their quality, appearance, provenance Bjurselet in northern Sweden (Becker 1952; Knuts-
and availability. Studies based on present-day geo- son 1988).
logical conditions and availability under prehis- Classification of south Scandinavian flint into
toric conditions have been carried out to investi- different types has chiefly been based on visual
gate where flint may have been found and how it inspection (e.g. Becker 1988; 1993). In a study pub-
was transported both within and between regions, lished in 2007, two of the present authors defined
such as those with abundant flint in the ground seventeen characteristic types of flint from south-
as well as others lacking a natural supply (Knuts- ern Sweden, Denmark and northern Germany
son 1988; Eriksen 2000; Apel 2001; Knarrström on the basis of variables such as colour, appear-
2001; Mjærum 2004; Högberg and Olausson 2007; ance, properties and availability (Högberg & Olaus-
Högberg 2009). Some of the better-known stu- son 2007). Several studies, however, have demons-
Fornvännen 107 (2012)
226 Anders Högberg et al.
trated the limitations involved in visual classifi- to distinguish by eye from Falster Flint (Eriksen
cation (discussion in Schindler 2010), and in an 2008). The same problem applies to certain flint
earlier pilot study we have tested the possibility nodules from the beach at Hökholz near Schles-
of supplementing visual diagnosis with geoche- wig in northern Germany. When we visited Hök-
mical sourcing of flint through the use of non- holz in 2010 we found several flint nodules which
destructive energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence we could classify as Falster Flint, together with
spectrometry (EDXRF; Hughes et al. 2010). We an abundance of several other ice- or moraine-
were able to recognise distinctions among flint transported flint types. This means our previous
from different geographical areas. However, the descriptions of the provenance of Falster Flint
results of the pilot study were preliminary, and (Högberg & Olausson 2007, p. 96 ff) are in need
we emphasised that further samples must be ana- of revision.
lysed from these localities to ensure that the dis- The geographical distribution of the visually
tinctions identified remained discrete. Also, we characteristic Common Kristianstad Flint, with
needed to test additional samples from localities its numerous lighter-coloured spots of various
not included in the pilot study, to determine the sizes in a black or grey matrix, has not previously
degree to which the chemical signatures are use- been investigated in detail. This type of flint
ful for identifying flints in this part of the world. occurs in geological formations and in the till in
Here we build on these previously published north-eastern Scania, Sweden, but exactly where
results and synthesise new results from an exten- it occurs and in what quantities has, until recent-
sive chemical analysis of a selection of Scandina- ly, been unclear. Old geological literature that
vian flints (Hughes et al. 2012) together with an has come to our attention after 2007 makes it
updated review of the visual classification of clear that Common Kristianstad flint occurs in
some flint types from southern Scandinavia. It is situ in geological chalk formations in the area
the most comprehensive study to date of chemi- around Kristianstad and that it can also be found
cal characterisation of flint from south Scandi- in ice-transported limestone nappes and in gla-
navia. cial till as far south as central Scania, as far west
in northern Scania as Vittsjö, and as far east as
Availability and Visual Classification of Flint western Blekinge. Farther east in Blekinge or far-
Högberg & Olausson’s 2007 classification has been ther to the north in Småland there are no report-
commented on (Bjarke Ballin 2008; Eriksen 2008; ed occurrences of Common Kristianstad Flint
Andrefsky 2009; Schindler 2010) and we have (Moberg 1880; 1884; Blomberg 1900; Lunde-
done further research on the availability of various gren 1934). This ought to have an impact on in-
flint types in southern Scandinavia. This applies terpretations of trade in raw material and arte-
chiefly to varieties of Falster Flint and Common facts made of Common Kristianstad Flint, par-
Kristianstad Flint, and a new flint source at Båstad ticularly in Blekinge and north along the east
in northwestern Scania and southern Halland coast of Sweden up to the Kalmar region and
(fig. 1). Öland, where many finds of production waste
Falster Flint is a characteristic type found at and artefacts made from Common Kristianstad
Hasselø on the island of Falster, Denmark. Its Flint have been made (Lundegren 1934; Magnus-
blue striped appearance in a blue, black or grey son & Selling 2001).
matrix makes it is easy to recognise and the flint Another less often discussed occurrence of
type is well known among modern knappers for flint is worth mentioning. Palaeontologist J.C.
its supreme quality. In 2007 (p. 96 ff) Högberg & Moberg (1886) noted the occurrence of flint and
Olausson stated that Falster Flint could be found chalk in north-western Scania and southern Hal-
mainly on the island of Falster, giving it a clear geo- land. Large-scale surveys revealed a greyish-yellow
graphical provenance in contrast to many other homogeneous flint and a dark-grey flint together
flint types. This has, however, proven not to be with till or limestone. Moberg (1886, p. 365) con-
the case. On the north coast of Jutland, Denmark, cluded that a solid chalk system stretching from
flint nodules can be found which are impossible the north side of the Hallandsåsen ridge at Bås-
Fornvännen 107 (2012)
Many Different Types of Scandinavian Flint 227
Fig. 1. Map of south
Scandinavia with sites
mentioned in the text.
tad and extending to the Halland plain had been terials to establish the probable geological source
destroyed or covered by till during the glacial pe- of origin of prehistoric artefacts (e.g. Aspinall &
riod. The occurrence of flint in this area should Feather 1972; de Bruin et al. 1972; Bush 1976;
be investigated more carefully in the future. Cowell 1981; Stockmans et al. 1981; Craddock et
al. 1983; Kinnunen et al. 1985; Bush & Sieveking
Chemical Sourcing 1986; Sieveking & Hart 1986; Sieveking & New-
For more than 40 years instrumental techniques comer 1987; Matiskainen et al. 1989; Luedtke
have been applied to determine the chemical com- 1992; McDonnell et al. 1997; Schild & Sulgos-
position, or “fingerprint”, of geological flint sour- towska 1997; Costopoulos 2003; Baltrūnas et al.
ces with the goal of using chemical correspon- 2006; Högberg & Olausson 2007; Allard et al.
dences between geological and archaeological ma- 2008; Hughes et al. 2010; 2012; Olofsson &
Fornvännen 107 (2012)
228 Anders Högberg et al.
Rodushkin 2011). Much of this instrumentally of flint, the Geological Survey of Japan’s JCh-1
based provenance research has been devoted to chert standard (Imai et al. 1996) was used for pre-
studies of flint from England and continental cision and accuracy comparison.
Europe. Despite the long history of interest in
flint mines in Denmark and Sweden (e.g., Althin Source Criticism
1951; Becker 1959; Rudebeck 1998) and works First we must briefly recognise four factors affect-
focusing on lithic technology in the region (e.g., ing the precision and accuracy of non-destructive
Olausson 1983; Knutsson 1988; Eriksen 2000; EDXRF analysis.
Apel 2001; Knarrström 2001; Högberg 2009), 1. The homogeneity or heterogeneity of the ma-
only a few studies focusing on the chemical charac- terial being measured. Volcanic rocks (such as
terisation of flint from these countries have been obsidian) are typically quite homogeneous in
published (Micheelsen 1966; Hughes et al. 2010; trace, minor and major element composition
2012; Olofsson & Rodushkin 2011).1 and they usually exhibit a comparatively nar-
row range of elemental variability. By con-
Methods trast sedimentary rocks (like flint and chert)
The laboratory analysis conditions and instru- are quite heterogeneous in composition be-
mentation used in our study has been described cause formation processes over very long pe-
elsewhere and those interested in additional ana- riods of geological time compress and com-
lytical detail may consult Hughes et al. 2010, p. bine assorted organic and inorganic material.
21; 2012. The instrument used is a QuanX-EC™ This diverse parent material expresses itself
(Thermo Electron Corporation) EDXRF spec- in sedimentary rocks as chemical heterogene-
trometer equipped with a silver (Ag) x-ray tube, ity (Luedtke 1992).
a 50 kV x-ray generator, digital pulse processor 2. The physical surface to be analysed. The tar-
with automated energy calibration, and a Peltier get surface should be flat and free from inclu-
cooled solid state detector with 145 eV resolution sions. Highly irregular surfaces alter the criti-
(FWHM) at 5.9 keV. The x-ray tube was operated cal geometrical path between the X-ray tube
at differing voltage and current settings to opti- excitation source and the detector. Highly
mise excitation of the elements selected for analy- variable and usually inaccurate results can
sis. Samples were cleaned with distilled water be- result. Obsidian artefacts that are relatively
fore analysis to remove any noticeable surface flat or lenticular in cross-section typically yield
contaminants. Special care was taken to avoid di- precise data via EDXRF analysis (Hughes 1986,
recting the X-ray beam on to obvious patinated p. 31 ff), and we have had the same result with
surfaces or calcareous or fossil inclusions. The flint (Hughes et al. 2012).
only other requirement was that each sample 3. EDXRF is a bulk-area, near-surface technique,
should be relatively flat, with a minimum surface so X-rays excited and emitted from the entire
size for analysis of >2–3 mm thick and >15–20 target (sample) surface are detected and com-
mm in diameter. bined to derive a composition estimate for
Previous research showed that X-ray intensi- each element. In the present case, the X-ray
ties above background for certain trace elements beam was focused on each sample via a 6.8
were too low to yield reliable composition esti- mm collimator (aperture) within a 30 mm2
mates, so analyses presented in Hughes et al. 2012 excitation area. However, Scandinavian flint
focused on major and selected minor elements. often contains inclusions, and if the X-ray
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made to direct the X-ray beam to portions of gical artefacts, the effects of patination are
a sample without any obvious inclusions. especially important to recognise.
4. Patination and other surface adherents can
have serious effects on derived composition Results of the Chemical Analyses
estimates. Although we have not yet carried The 2010 pilot study involved seven locations
out exhaustive experiments on the effects of restricted to eastern Denmark and southern Swe-
patination of flint via EDXRF we have de- den. One question that arose from the results of
monstrated that, in relation to an unpatinated that study was whether or not the chemical types
surface, a patinated surface shows SiO2 de- we labelled Hanaskog, Östra Torp and Stevns Klint
pletion and elevated concentrations of Al2O3, would remain discrete if more samples were ana-
K2O and Fe – particularly Fe. Cl and Ti values lysed. To investigate this, we reanalysed the origi-
are also higher in the patinated samples, al- nal specimens we had used to discern the chemi-
though CaO values appear to be only slightly cal distinctions among Scandinavian flint varie-
affected (tab. 1; fig. 2; Hughes et al. 2012). ties and compared them to new samples from the
These results indicate that post-fracture same source sites.
weathering and deposition environment do The results from the additional sample analy-
introduce chemical changes in the affected sis are illustrated in fig. 3. The graph shows that
surfaces (e.g., Shepherd 1972, p. 114 ff; Luedt- the same general CaO and Fe relationship identi-
ke 1992; Högberg & Olausson 2007, p. 67 ff). fied among the flint types in the pilot study is
Silica is leached from the flint and replaced by apparent in these data. This shows that the analy-
iron and other substances. With respect to ses presented in the pilot study can be repeated,
archaeological artefacts, polishing and grind- using quantitative composition estimates, with
ing done to artefacts by prehistoric artisans or the same results.
“painting” of artefacts with ochre (Van Gijn With this as a starting point, we deemed it
2010, p. 177 ff) may have left near-surface worthwhile to proceed with chemical analyses of
residue introduced by polishing media, which south Scandinavian flint from other localities.
could affect measurements. As future EDXRF Therefore, we widened our geographical focus and
provenance studies are applied to archaeolo- collected flint from an additional 18 localities in
Fornvännen 107 (2012)
Many Different Types of Scandinavian Flint 231
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Table 2. Quantitative composition estimates for flint samples from south Scandinavia. Recommended values
for JCh-1 from Imai et al. (1996). nd = no data. The “Flint Type” column lists visual categories according to
Högberg & Olausson 2007.
Denmark, Sweden and northern Germany for from Öland, Bornholm, Jasmund, Helligkilde,
analysis (tab. 2). Figs 4–5 show the CaO/Fe rela- Hising, Klintholm, Mønsted, Sevel, Kinnekulle,
tionship among these samples. Kølbygård and Hanaskog (the high Fe variant,
Several important new findings emerged. i.e. Black Kristianstad Flint) each have CaO and
Composition estimates for these Scandinavian Fe values distinct from each other and from the
flints refine and quantify the chemical distinc- Stevns Klint, Östra Torp and Hanaskog types, i.e.
tions previously identified. Samples from a total the low Fe variant (Common Kristianstad Flint)
of 25 localities (18 new ones and 7 samples from previously defined in the pilot study (fig. 4, 5).
previously analysed localities) add to the number Consistent with the variants defined visually
of archaeologically significant chemical signa- by Högberg & Olausson (2007), there appear to
tures – and thus varieties – in the region’s flint. be at least two chemical varieties of Hanaskog
On the basis of CaO and Fe composition, flint; Common Kristianstad Flint falls within the
flint from Bjerge-by, Hasselø, Odby, Fakse, Voks- chemical variety termed Hanaskog in tab. 2 and
lev, Rørdal and Ellidshøj can be subsumed with- fig. 3, while Black Kristianstad Flint from the same
in the Stevns Klint chemical type (fig. 5). Flint general location in Scania contains a significant-
Fornvännen 107 (2012)
232 Anders Högberg et al.
Fig. 4. A plot of samples from Kinnekulle,
Hanaskog, Sevel and Öland. These four
types have distinct chemical compositions.
The limits for the chemical types from
figure 3 are shown. Note that the
Hanaskog chemical type defined in the
pilot study consists of Common Kris-
tianstad Flint and that the samples
labelled Hanaskog in this figure and plot-
ted to the right of the Hanaskog chemical
type are of the Black Kristianstad Flint
variety. Both flint types are found at the
Hanaskog site. They have different chemi-
cal compositions, in addition to looking
different and having different knapping
properties. The lower left-hand corner is
shown enlarged in fig. 5.
ly greater amount of Fe, plotted as “Hanaskog” distinguishes them from other flints from north-
in the legend to fig. 4. ern Jutland. Although the two localities produce
A dramatic difference in CaO/Fe composi- the same visual variety of flint and are geographi-
tion sets Öland and Kinnekulle flint apart from cally close to each other, they have different che-
all others in this Scandinavian sample (tab. 2; fig. mical compositions.
4). These flint types come from other geological Flint from Danian and Senonian levels at
formations and periods, and they are visually dis- Stevns Klint (fig. 6) also contains more CaO than
tinct from the rest of the analysed flint. Indeed other members of the chemical type of that name
they also come from localities that are geograph- defined previously (fig. 3), which may help to dif-
ically distant from other sites (Högberg & Olaus- ferentiate it in archaeological contexts.
son 2007, p. 132 ff). The samples from Bornholm (the so-called
CaO/Fe contrasts provide evidence for two Ball Flint), and from Hisingen (labelled West
chemical types, Mønsted and Sevel, within the Swedish Beach Flint) do not represent homoge-
visual type we labelled Grey Band Matte Danian neous flint from two primary sources but rather
Flint (Högberg & Olausson 2007, p. 108 ff). This stray nodules available on beaches along the coast
Fornvännen 107 (2012)
Many Different Types of Scandinavian Flint 233
Fig. 6. Here three of the localities
with samples within the Stevns
Klint type are plotted at high reso-
lution. It is possible to distinguish
different localities. Flint from
Møns Klint and Södra Sallerup
cluster together, whereas flint
from Stevns Klint stands out. Note
that the flints from Stevns Klint in
the plot are of both Danian and
Senonian ages. Samples analysed
from Danian levels at Stevns Klint
contain significantly higher con-
centrations of Cl than do those
from Senonian contexts, making it
possible to distinguish between
them.
of Bornholm and on the west coast of Sweden. Other samples analysed have CaO and Fe
The geological origin of these flint types is not compositions within the range of the Stevns
known. Relative CaO enrichment allows the Ball Klint chemical type. The sample from Rørdal, the
Flint from Bornholm to be separated from the specimens from Ellidshøj, from Odby and from
Stevns Klint group (fig. 5). This graph also shows Bjerge-by conform to the Stevns Klint chemical
that CaO/Fe values distinguish between Born- type, as corroborated by visual classification as
holm and the Rügen Flint samples from Jasmund Scandinavian Senonian Flint (Högberg & Olaus-
in northern Germany. Chemical analysis of the son 2007, p. 89, 105, 129). The characteristics of
flint from Hisingen distinguishes it from other Falster Flint from Hasselø also correspond to
types. However, Ball Flint and West Swedish those of the Stevns Klint chemical type (fig.5).
Beach Flint come from beach ridges where they Another visually distinct flint type is the
have been affected by water and wind for long Brown Bryozoan Flint which can be found at
periods of time and so may be thoroughly pati- Fakse on Zealand and Vokslev in Jutland. The
nated, that is, affected all the way through the honey-brown or grey matrix with numerous bryo-
nodule. Even though we analysed surfaces on zoans visible to the naked eye makes it easy to
freshly knapped flakes whose surfaces did not recognise (Högberg & Olausson 2007, p. 120 ff).
show any visible patination, we do not know for However, the chemical analysis places it together
certain whether the distinct pattern we obtained with the Scandinavian Senonian Flint (fig. 5),
reflected the chemical type of the flint or the im- demonstrating that flint with different visual cha-
pact of weathering. racteristics can have a very similar CaO/Fe geo-
Fig. 5 also shows that the Reddish-brown Bryo- chemistry.
zoan Flint sample from Helligkilde (Högberg & Flint from Klintholm, the so-called Bryozoan
Olausson 2007, p. 128 ff) has a distinct chemical Flint, Funen Variety, is partly chemically distinct
composition. However, we have only been able from the Stevns Klint group, but intergrades at
to analyse one sample. A single specimen from Køl- lower CaO and Fe compositions in specimens
bygård of the Grey Band Danian type also has a where inclusions are less prevalent (fig. 5). The
distinct CaO/Fe composition. To draw any but the Bryozoan Flint, Funen Variety from Klintholm is
most tentative conclusion, we need to analyse distinct in appearance (Högberg & Olausson
more samples of these flint types. 2007, p. 116 ff) and has previously been identi-
Fornvännen 107 (2012)
234 Anders Högberg et al.
fied as one of the few south Scandinavian flints ended up in the same chemical type group. In our
which are distinctive as to visual appearance and more recent expanded study we investigated the
geological source (Thomsen 2000, p. 35). Our extent to which the earlier results applied to flint
study supports Thomsen’s results; flint from from a wider area, i.e. flint from all over southern
Klintholm is chemically distinct, even though it Scandinavia (Högberg & Olausson 2007; Hughes
falls close to the Stevns Klint type in the plots. et al. 2012). The ideal result we had hoped for was
Note that some of our data come from a very that visually similar flint from geographically di-
small number of geological samples, just one per stant areas would possess different chemical sig-
locality in some cases. This means that even though natures. If so, this could lay a clear foundation for
the results of our study show that it is possible to interpretations of how raw material or artefacts
identify flint chemically from some localities in were moved during prehistory. Regrettably, that
south Scandinavia, it is not yet possible to specify was not the result we obtained. One of the clear-
the extent of intra-source chemical variability or est findings of the expanded study is that classifi-
potential chemical overlap. Doing so will require cation based on appearance, geography, geology
additional analysis of more source rocks, and the and geochemistry sometimes groups the samples
addition of other well-measured chemical ele- within the same type, but sometimes not. The con-
ments for corroboration or modification. Future clusion to be drawn from the studies presented
studies might also benefit from multivariate ana- here is that there is no exact correlation between
lyses including several or all analysed elements. the flint’s visual appearance and properties, the
But at present our sample size per group (chemi- place it comes from, the geological formations it
cal type) is much too small and uneven to satisfy comes from, or its chemical composition. This is
the statistical preconditions for such analyses. an important result, as it shows the difficulty of
Note also that chemical groupings of flint do sourcing flint from southern Scandinavia. It also
not necessarily imply geographical proximity. The demonstrates that the grouping of flint into three
terms “source” and “chemical type” are used here chemical types that we suggested in our 2010 pilot
to identify groups of specimens that share a dis- study is not sufficient for future studies. The che-
tinct chemical signature independently of geo- mical types need revision and expansion and, if
graphic location (cf. Hughes 1998, p. 104). In chemical types are to be discussed, new ones will
fact, the results of our study provide several need to be delineated.
examples of the non-concordance between che- It is relevant at this juncture to ask how our
mistry and geography, e.g. the Brown Bryozoan new results regarding the geochemistry of south
Flint from Fakse and Vokslev mentioned above. Scandinavian flint relate to previous provenance
Although many in situ flint exposures are known analyses of flint, and what their significance will
in southern Scandinavia, glacial scouring and ice be for future archaeological studies of the trans-
transport have moved flint from its point of ori- port of flint and flint artefacts.
gin to widely dispersed and mixed contexts where Based on typological and technological stud-
it was exploited by those areas' inhabitants (Niel- ies, Jan Apel (2001) has suggested that during the
sen 1997; Knarrström 2001; Högberg & Olaus- Late Neolithic, Scandinavian bifacial knapped
son 2007; Eriksen 2010, p. 87 ff). In light of this flint daggers made of Scandinavian Senonian
it is important to determine, as precisely as pos- Flint – the so-called Danish Daggers (Callahan
sible, the geographical dispersal of chemical flint 2006; Nunn 2006) – were produced mainly with-
varieties so that informed inferences can be made in two areas. One was in northern Jutland. From
about the role(s) and significance of human acqui- here he suggested that the daggers were trans-
sition and conveyance of these materials at dif- ported to northern Germany and Norway and
ferent times in the past. then from Norway to eastern central Sweden.
The other area where daggers were produced was
Archaeological Implications in south-eastern Denmark and Scania. Here dag-
Our 2010 pilot study showed that flint which looks gers were made of similar Scandinavian Senon-
the same, for example Scandinavian Senonian Flint, ian Flint and transported to northern Germany,
Fornvännen 107 (2012)
Many Different Types of Scandinavian Flint 235
Fig. 7. The relative frequency of LN I dagger types in Fig. 8. Proposed exchange routes from the two main
different regions in Scandinavia. Type I daggers from production areas to different parts of Scandinavia
the production area in Jutland, Denmark, are marked during LN I (from Apel 2001, p. 307, fig. 9:17).
in white and type II and III daggers from the produc-
tion area in eastern Denmark and Scania appear in
black (from Apel 2001, p. 306, fig. 9:16).
southern Sweden and south-eastern Norway (figs dinavian Senonian Flint is available display the
7–8; Apel 2001, p. 304 ff). In Sweden many such same chemical characteristics. Fig. 5, for example,
daggers have been found in areas where no flint shows that samples which are visually similar, have
can be found in the ground (fig. 9). Flints which the same properties when knapped, and have the
look alike but come from geological sources same chemical composition, can come from dif-
located far from each other may differ in their ferent geographical areas. But as fig. 6 shows, some
chemical composition. If this proves to be the samples of Scandinavian Senonian Flint do not
case, the results could be used to further investi- plot in exactly the same composition range. For
gate Apel’s suggestions about the trade or distri- example, flint from Stevns Klint is slightly differ-
bution routes for daggers. In fact, this is an im- ent in composition from the flint from Södra
portant problem to address with future EDXRF Sallerup and Møn. It should also be added to the
analysis. discussion that Danish daggers were sometimes
Overall, our results are both encouraging and made out of Danian flint, making future geoche-
sobering. Samples from different sites where Scan- mical studies on this artefact type even more pro-
Fornvännen 107 (2012)
236 Anders Högberg et al.
Fig. 9. Daggers and spearheads found in a gallery grave at Skogsbo in Västergötland (Forssander 1936). No flint
occurs naturally in the area. The dagger at the far left is c. 28 cm long. Photo by AH.
mising. These examples show that, while there is The coasts of the south-west Baltic Sea with Sca-
no simple result that clearly separates flints from nia, eastern Denmark and Germany shared basi-
different localities from each other, there is tre- cally the same material culture over long periods
mendous potential to inform future investigations of prehistory (Apel 2001; Högberg 2009). Thus it
of how raw material and artefacts were trans- would be important to examine any evidence for
ported during prehistory. transports of raw material. Sourcing of Rügen
There are other important results which may Flint has hitherto rested solely on visual assess-
be of value to future research on flint provenance. ment, which can be problematic when artefacts
Rügen Flint from Jasmund is very similar in visual lack cortex, so chemical sourcing may be useful in
appearance to Scandinavian Senonian Flint. What future analyses of finds from this area.
sets them apart is that the former has a so-called Black Kristianstad Flint has a distinct chemi-
“diving cortex”, i.e. the chalk cortex intrudes into cal composition but it is seldom identified as the
the flint from the surface, creating cavities and raw material for prehistoric artefacts in Swedish
tunnels in the flint. Larger nodules of Rügen Flint museum collections (Högberg & Olausson 2007,
also contain irregular lighter spots of different p. 78 ff), despite the fact that the flint was avail-
sizes which are often surrounded by a thin band able in a densely populated landscape (Edring
of even lighter-coloured flint (Högberg & Olaus- 2005). A flake or a nodule of Black Kristianstad
son 2007, p. 100 ff). But smaller black nodules of Flint is easy to recognise if it is not patinated and
Rügen Flint which lack the diving cortex can easi- retains its cortex. Its deep black colour and homo-
ly be mistaken for Scandinavian Senonian Flint. geneity, together with the rather thick yellowish
Fornvännen 107 (2012)
Many Different Types of Scandinavian Flint 237
grey cortex, are unique. But if Black Kristianstad sults of the chemical analyses do not help us in
Flint has been knapped into an artefact, with no making this judgement.
cortex left on the surface, and this artefact has Ball Flint from Bornholm falls within a sepa-
become patinated after thousands of years buried rate chemical group (fig. 5). This is an interesting
in an archaeological context, then the flint type is result for future studies of contacts between
much more difficult to recognise. It takes on an Bornholm and the east coast of southern Sweden
appearance that resembles patinated Scandina- and the south Baltic coast. There is an ongoing
vian Senonian Flint. Since the latter type is well archaeological discussion (Skak-Nielsen 2004)
known to archaeologists, whereas few Swedish as to whether or not Bornholm, located only c. 40
archaeologists are familiar with Black Kristian- km southeast of the Swedish coast, played an im-
stad Flint, a patinated artefact with no cortex portant role in contacts across the Baltic during
made out of this flint type can easily be mistaken the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic. Future
for Scandinavian Senonian Flint. Our chemical provenance studies of flint could clarify this.
analyses show clear differences between Black In the introduction to this paper we men-
Kristianstad Flint and all the other flint types. tioned the finds from Bjurselet in northern Swe-
This result could be used in the future to investi- den as being among the better-known Scandina-
gate whether or not Stone Age tools found in the vian examples of transport of flint artefacts in
area around Kristianstad and classified as Scandi- prehistoric times (Becker 1952; Knutsson 1988).
navian Senonian Flint may actually have been In his raw material studies of the finds, based on
made from Black Kristianstad Flint. For example, visual characterisation, Becker (1952) argued
finds from the many excavated megalithic tombs that the flint from which most of the axes in the
around Kristianstad could be interesting to con- finds are made came from eastern Denmark.
sider from this point of view (Bagge & Kaelas Using our results, we hope to be able to pinpoint
1950; 1952). This, in combination with the new exactly where the raw material for the Bjurselet
knowledge presented above about the distribu- axes came from (Olausson et al. in press).
tion and occurrence of Common Kristianstad
Flint in northern Scania and parts of Blekinge, Thanks to Jan Apel for kindly letting us use figures from
may lead to new results regarding how flint in his dissertation. Funding for this research was provid-
this area was used as a raw material in prehistoric ed by The Birgit and Gad Rausing Foundation for Re-
times. search in the Humanities and by The Erik Philip-Sören-
Falster Flint was used a great deal during pre- sen Foundation for Research in Genetics and the Hu-
history. In our analyses this flint type proved to manities, Lund University. English translation by Alan
have the same chemical composition as Scandi- Crozier.
navian Senonian Flint, for example from Møn
and Ellidshøj. As pointed out above, Falster Flint End notes
occurs at more places than Hasselø on Falster; 1. Olofsson & Rodushkin (2011) have published a pi-
the type has been reported from northern Jut- lot study involving Scandinavian flint. The authors
land (Eriksen 2008), and our renewed studies emphasise that their results are preliminary, but
show that the flint type is also found at Hökholz we wish to make a few comments. The study is bas-
in Schleswig. Falster Flint is visually distinctive, ed on six archaeological artifacts and nineteen re-
with its blue stripes in a blue, black, or grey ma- ference samples. Seven of the reference specimens
trix. The stripes are visible even if the flint is pati- are geological samples from Denmark. The rest are
nated. Therefore artefacts manufactured from patinated archaeological samples from sites in Rus-
Falster Flint are easy to recognise. However, not sia (p. 1149, tab. 2). Our work shows the difficulties
all areas of the matrix of this type of flint are inherent in using patinated flint as a reference samp-
striped, and when stripes are absent it is difficult le. This, together with the likelihood that archaeo-
to tell dark varieties of Falster Flint apart from logical artifacts may have been transported across
Scandinavian Senonian Flint. This applies to pati- vast distances during prehistory (as e.g. the flint
nated flint as well as fresh surfaces. And the re- artefacts from Vuollerim exemplify), renders such
Summary
Proceeding from previously published studies of the study also shows that certain flint types have
the provenance of south Scandinavian flints bas- distinct chemical compositions, and that several
ed on visual classification and chemical analysis, of the south Scandinavian flints can in fact be
in this contribution we present the results from re- told apart. Overall, our recent findings offer hope
cent work on the sourcing of flint. Previous know- that, although not easy, it is at least possible to
ledge about the appearance and geological origin determine the provenance of south Scandinavian
of flint types has been discussed and reappraised, flint. In the last part of this paper we provide a
and an extensive chemical analysis of flint from a few examples of interesting archaeological prob-
total of 25 localities has been synthesised. The re- lems where our results might be applied in future
sults show that provenance analyses of flint from research on the transport of raw material and the
southern Scandinavia are difficult. No clear and distribution of flint artefacts during Prehistory.
simple interpretable patterns can be discerned. But