The early Neolithic flint mines of Sussex and their wider environs (4000-3650 BC)

Abstract

The study of Early Neolithic flint mining began in the late 19th century in Sussex with a series of seminal excavations at chalk downland sites, including Blackpatch, Church Hill, Cissbury and Harrow Hill. Over the next century further excavations and research on the Sussex mines contributed to the narrative of the Neolithic period in southern England. The Early Neolithic flint mines of Sussex remain one of the earliest forms of large-scale monument to be constructed in the British Isles and their products, mostly finely made bifacial axes, were widely distributed across the region. Numerous flint mines are also found across Northwest Europe, including extensive complexes in Belgium, France, Poland and the Netherlands, and the act of extracting flint from deep workings remains a defining element of the Neolithic. Research on the English flint mines has diminished in recent decades, with no new fieldwork carried out for over 30 years, in contrast to Continental Europe where numerous sites are still under excavation. This thesis combines archival research and reassessment of previous research with new fieldwork, radiocarbon dates and other data to question longstanding interpretations of the Sussex mines. It is proposed that flint mines were pivotal monuments to the creation, development and spread of nascent Early Neolithic practices and cultural identities from the very start of the period in southern England. The thesis develops the study of flint mining beyond the immediate mine workings and into the wider landscape. Finally, this thesis increases knowledge on the communities who extracted flint from deep beneath the ground from the start of the Neolithic, one of the most important periods in the prehistory of the British Isles.

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ORCID for Carl Pollard: orcid.org/0000-0002-8429-2009

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