2000 kilograms of flint (or chert) including transport

Sounds like a great project, however I am a bit confised as to what is trying to be achieved?

what items are you going to knap? i think part of the learning to knap is selecting the raw nodule then creating your own items from it, have you ever knapped? maybe it might be an idea for a few to take a trip to the quarry and arrange to do a bit of onsite knapping or maybe get a knapper to join you, you would learn so much without the waste.

it would be a disaster to have a bag of flint delivered then just reduce it to waste only to have a problem disposing of it,

however i would really enjoy to follow your progress and see pictures throughout your knapping.

Hi, 

As always, thank you for your responses. 

Basically we would like to recreate past studies on flint knapping (for example, this one: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X1500005X) in which participants are given a standerdised core which doesnt suggest any particular outcome. We then would ask them to knap something and see what they produce. 

Therefore, we arnt particularly interested in the aspect of stone selection, but just what different people produce. So it is very important that every participant receives as similar as possible cores. 

Does that make more sense? sorry for the confusion! 

And I guess the cores could be prepared at the quarry and then sent to Birmingham? I got a quote for the flint and transport from the quarry and it sounds very reasonable!

Thanks again!

The (knapped) flint you get from Needham will arrive in pretty standard form. What they call knapping is simply splitting the flint into quarters and in this form it is ideal for making cores and flakes.

This flim 20-25 seconds in shows what I mean,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKDoy6j2lfk

Prehistorically flakes were used as blades, made into arrowheads or other tools such as blade knives, burin , scrapers and so on.


The alternative method is you get unknapped nodules and spall them, this means making large flat spalls from them.

This flim shows spalling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf_Xjew9fJA

Prehistorically larger spalls were made into knives, hand axes, spearheads, axes and smaller ones into arrowheads and tools.


An initial decision that you would have to make which will effect your study is do you want your students to be given quarters or spalls? Quarters can be bought from Needham ready made, or do you want to use spalls in which case you would need to buy unknapped flint and have someone spall it for you.

Thank you for the information Elisa - i now understand so i guess you will be needing a standard set of knapping tools? Grendel on here i am sure would be able to help you if needed,

please do keep us informed and pictures are great.  - will the work be going on display?

Archaeologically speaking the term spall is reserved for the small flakes taken off blades to form burins, usually in the Upper Palaeolithic period.
The Americans call large flake blanks spalls, or I've seen on more than one occasion spauls, also wrong. After looking into modern American knapping for so long I've started to think of large flakes as spalls too!
Mind you, that second vid is interesting in that a cushion was used, I've not seen that technique before.

I thought (maybe) a sack of hay? Great idea though. I've long used the term spalls, calling everything from microlith technology to Solutrean, flake, is incredibly undescriptive.

You are right, flake is vague in physical and dimensional terms. A spall as a large piece is an odd concept to an archaeologist who has learnt that it is something really small and specific. I'll get my coat... He he! 
Now sack of hay may be the way, I wince when folk use their leg pad as an anvil or cushioning for this task, but it works.

Hello! Happy new year! I hope you all had lovely holidays. 

I am back, with some new information. Bascially, we asked what they did in a past study and they said:  'it took maybe 1 hour or so to reduce 2 tonnes of flint into somewhere between 500 and 1000 cores' but I am still not sure whether that means they had it in quarters or spalls? I will try to send a picture the previous researchers sent us. Unfortunately it is not of the core itself, but might be helpful to your trained eyes!

I hope that worked! You can see what we're looking for in the knapper's hands. 

As usual, any advice is hugely appreciated! 

Thank you very much, 

Elisa

From the picture I can't see how flat or round the piece of flint he is holding is. 

1kg spalls (as was originally mentioned) that are say 3cm thick would be 20-25 cm long. Something like this is very difficult to make, only a couple could come from a nodule and the rest would be wastage. It would also take a long time..... thin and big is extremely difficult to make.

Much easier to make is small and thin or large and thick. Some 5-6cm thick and 12-15cm long spalls, which would also weigh around a kilo would be much easier and faster to make. Also something 2-3cm and 10cm could be knapped quicker and easier too.

Hi Grendel, 

Thank you very much for your answer. So if we gave the subjects 1kg spalls (of the dimensions you mentioned-15cm long and 6cm thick) would they be able to make something ROUGHLY resembling anything like oldowan tools from each spall? and how many do you think they would be able to make? I am thinking specifically of sharp blades, to use to cut through rope for example. 

Thank you!

they would be suitable for making some of the larger ones, for most you would need something much less substantial. For most Oldawan tools you need pebbles. Last time I was at Castle Acre (a few years ago) they had a large number of small round flint nodules roughly the size of pebbles I grabbed a load for chopper tool making. Being good quality flint they were easier to make stuff from than real flint pebbles. They would suit your need if Castle Acre still has them.

Hi Grendel, 

Great, thank you. So if we did decide to go for the kg spalls of the dimensions you suggested, would you be able to knap them for us? or do you know anyone who would be willing? 

Thank you!

Where would the knapping take place?

Hmm I dont know, possibly at the quarry? we would need to get the stuff to Birmingham somehow though! we can talk via email if it's easier: exb402@bham.ac.uk

when are you looking to transport the flint?

In the next couple of months ideally!

Mr Hertzian Cone lives in Norfolk and the quarry is just down the road from him, and the Barnacle lives near Birmingham.

Ah, remember that I'm one of those types that don't drive!

Great! Anybody interested? maybe we could find another way to organise the transport if you don't drive Mr. Hertzian Cone?

Minicab?

The quarry does deliver, have you asked them if they will deliver direct to your university? I'm sure they will.

That would be ideal! Thank you, I'll ask.

Hello again! So the quarry does deliver. Any one interested in the knapping? we would 'only' need about 50kg at this stage. Could anyone also please give me a rough estimate of how much the labour would take and cost? 

Thank you very much!