Preliminary characterization of the prehistoric mine of chocolate flint in Poręba Dzierżna, site 24 (Wolbrom commune, Lesser Poland voivodeship)

Authors

  • Magdalena Sudoł-Procyk Institute of Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Szosa Bydgoska 44/48, 87–100 Toruń, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4099-5893
  • Maciej T. Krajcarz Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda St. No 51/55, 00–818 Warszawa, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1240-0664
  • Magdalena Malak Institute of Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Szosa Bydgoska St. No 44/48, 87–100 Toruń, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9210-8179
  • Dagmara H. Werra Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 105, Solidarności Avenue, 00-140 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2233-1663

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23858/SA/73.2021.2.2546

Keywords:

geoarchaeology, stone age, raw material, prehistoric communities, Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, Poland

Abstract

Researches on prehistoric flint mines are currently widely developing, as they allow a deep insight into the past economy, early industry, and the network of trading routes and inter-regional contacts. In the territory of Poland and in general, Central Europe, one of the most important flint raw materials was an Upper Jurassic chert, so-called chocolate flint. In this paper are presented preliminary results of the research of chocolate flint mine in Poręba Dzierżna, site 24 (Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, southern Poland). The outcrop, and anthropogenic relief indicating the activity of prehistoric miners, were discovered in 2013. Recently excavations undertaken on the site recorded the remains of mining shafts, spoil heaps, and rich traces of workshops. The deposits of chocolate flint were previously known only in the Holy Cross Mountains, 130 km to the NE. The research undertaken has therefore a significant impact on the existing interpretations related to the extraction, use, and distribution of chocolate flint by prehistoric communities in Central Europe.

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References

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Published

2021-03-10

How to Cite

Sudoł-Procyk, M., Krajcarz, M. ., Malak, M., & H. Werra, D. (2021). Preliminary characterization of the prehistoric mine of chocolate flint in Poręba Dzierżna, site 24 (Wolbrom commune, Lesser Poland voivodeship). Sprawozdania Archeologiczne, 73(2). https://doi.org/10.23858/SA/73.2021.2.2546

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Section

Field Survey and Materials