Flint Tools Field Guide: Identifying Stone Age Tools

Our prehistoric ancestors used flint tools every day. They were of vital importance for cutting and scraping, used for hunting, preparing food, making clothing, and building shelters, and their remnants are scattered around the countryside. Unearthing such a find is undoubtedly a magical moment, a direct link to events thousands, or tens of thousands, of years before - but how do you confidently identify the piece of flint you find out in the field? Is it only a lump of flint, or did it really have an important function, a tool prized by our ancestors? And how old is it, exactly? This new field guide by Robert Turner opens a window into prehistoric archaeology. Because flint tools were used for specific tasks and developed through the ages, it is possible to gain an approximate age of the tools you find. This helpful guide explains how to identify flint tools, and gives an important insight of how people lived and worked so many years ago.

Robert Turner and his wife Gillian are both members of Worthing Archaeological Society and Sussex Archaeological Society. Robert is also a flint knapper and a member of the Lithics Society, sometimes working with professional archaeologists. He runs flint courses at Butser Iron Age Village, was a tutor for Sussex University, and has over the years lectured and demonstrated flint tools to local societies and history groups. He also teaches at schools. He lives in West Sussex.