Kemmelberg

First Farmers: Prospection Finds by Fieldwalking

by J L Putman & M Soenen

Hundreds of Neolithic artefacts have been found on the Kemmelberg during prospecting fieldwalks, such as scrapers, mine blades, sickles, tranchet axes, arrowheads, and transverse arrowheads.

Photo © CO7, DEPOTYZE, Ieper

Small circular scraper, Kemmelberg.

The top and bottom views are shown here of a rare circular scraper.

Photo © M Woodbury, AWaP

Grey mine blade, Kemmelberg.

Two grey blades were found from a flint mine at Spiennes in Belgium.

Photo © M Van Meenen, AOE

A sketch of the blade shown above.

Photo © M Woodbury, AWaP

The same mine blade with shine.

Through use, a clear shine has developed on the upper (distal) half of the right edge.

Photo © CO7, DEPOTYZE, Ieper

Double-edged blade, Kemmelberg.

This double-edged blade, about 5cm long, was probably a sickle element.

Photo © Luc Verhetsel, VISO

Polished flint axe, Kemmelberg, next to a modern hafted hand axe.

A polished flint axe measuring 19.6cm, with a mass of 560g and a maximum thickness of 3.5cm, was found by Gerard Duflou.

Photo © Luc Verhetsel, VISO

Detail of flint axe.

The detailed picture shows the cut and the width profile of the axe.

Photo © H Maertens

Polished axe, Kemmelberg, and replica.

This polished axe was reworked from a larger one. Next to it is a replica of an axe which has been hafted in a wooden handle.

Photo © H Maertens

Tranchet Axe, Kemmelberg, and replica.

Tranchet axes were characteristic tools in the culture group which lived on the Kemmelberg. Such a tranchet axe is shown here next to a replica of a tranchet axe which has been hafted in a wooden handle.

Leaf-shaped and triangular arrowhead, Kemmelberg, and replica.

Two arrowheads, which are often leaf-shaped or triangular, together with a replica of an arrowhead which has been shafted and attached.

Two transverse arrowheads, Kemmelberg, and replica.

Next to the transverse arrowheads, a replica of a transverse arrowhead is depicted, clamped on a wooden shaft.

Arrowheads of the Late Neolithic, Kemmelberg top.

Two shafted and winged arrowheads.

Borer, Kemmelberg.

This rare borer is only a few centimetres long.