Found two flints today....or have I?

[jtalbot0001]

Any flint experts out there? Before I begin, just have a look at the pictures, and you would be forgiven for thinking that I have been fieldwalking and found these two out in the field. But I kid you not, I actually found these in my back garden, and no, not even in the natural soil in my back garden, but in purchased gravel made of flint stone. We bought some stone for our garden about two years ago from a garden centre, and if I remember correctly, it came from yorkshire, I may be wrong on that. Anyhow, is it really possible that these are flints, because had I found these out in the field, I would have most certainly have said yes, but as I have found these in gravel from a garden centre, makes me doubt myself now. You probably wonder what on earth made me look for these in the gravel, well, as it was lovely and sunny, was sitting outside, and happened to look at the gravel, picked up a few stones and saw the first one on the left, and thought no, not possible, and then I saw the second one, and well, I am lost for words. Has anybody ever read a story or heard of people finding stuff in purchased gravel/stone before? Where does flint gravel come from, the stuff we buy in garden centres, does it come from rivers, or is fields or something sifted out for the stuff? I know somebody would need to look at it first hand, but one has got to admit they do look convincing!

[Chef Geoff]

Ummmmmmm. Now if you had found it in the natural soil I would say yes definitely as the nearest source of flint to us is over 60 miles, but finding flint in flint gravel well, that's not so convincing. The piece on the left does seem to have the expected "bulb of percussion" but the gravel (which come from gravel pits by the way, these are generally ancient river beds) is taken out by heavy plant machinery and the impacts that it could suffer during it's processing could cause it.
It may be worth showing an expert though, but it may be difficult to prove either way.

[jtalbot0001]

Now that's what I thought Geoff, heavy machinery would be used to gather it all, so even if were real, and not just natures natural creation, how on earth they survived without being destroyed I don't know! (their only saving grace though, if real, is the fact they are the same size, and slightly smaller, than the rest of the stone, which maybe helped in its survival). But then I read a story in the paper today of a factory worker being pulled through a machine with a gap the size of a DVD case and actually has lived, an absolute miracle! I will show somebody the flints when I get the chance though. Thanks Geoff!

[Meatslicer]

Flint tools (if they are tools) will generally have the same patina all over. If the surface is of different colours it usually means they were made more recently.

If the edges look reworked to produce a blade or edge, again these would all be the same colour if they were made in antiquity.

Also, they would have to conform to a recognised tool pattern, eg arrow or spear head, scraper or hand axe to be defined as worked tools.

Eric

[Val Beechey]

Have a look at 'Stone Age Tools Museum' (stoneagetools.co.uk) on line and see what you think.

Many of them look as if they were made yesterday and only have the natural patina of the flint itself on part of the tool. The worked surfaces are quite clean.

When I lived in Shrops. we bought Cotswold stone chippings for the garden and I spent many a happy hour sifting through for the many small pieces of fossil they contained. So I would say yes it's possible they may have been scooped up with the other gravel.

Val