Neolithic Shaft Mines at P. Pioegaert Valkenburg Aan De Geul (Limburg, the Netherlands) with a Contribution by A.E
F.T.S. Brounen A Tale of the Unexpected: Neolithic shaft mines at p. Pioegaert Valkenburg aan de Geul (Limburg, the Netherlands) with a contribution by A.E. de Hingh In the first part of this paper we focus on the principal Maastricht Formation in south-west Limburg and a neigh- characteristics of a lithic raw material type known as bouring part of Belgium (Felder 1975b, 1989; Marichal Valkenburg flint and on chronological aspects ofits use in 1983, 7). Within this formation the vertical distribution of prehistory. In the second part the results of a trial excavation flint layers is limited to a few stratigraphical units (fig. 2). at a recent lx diseovered procurement site with shafts and Though in the Nekum Chalk sporadically a flint nodule galleries at Valkenburg aan de Geul are dealt with. may occur (Felder 1989, 26; Felder et al. 1979, 8), the raw material is found in exploitable quantities mainly in the 2 1. Illll (MIMI IHIII Schiepersberg and in the Emael Chalk (Felder 1975a, 1980). During a survey in 1970 geologists came across a series The horizontal distribution of flint nodules within these of prehistorie (lint procurement sites in the valley slopes beds varies locally. In some places there is a concentration near Valkenburg aan de Geul (Felder/Bosch 1971a, 1971b). of these, whereas in others only a few scattered nodules can The type of flint extracted was named Valkenburg flint be found or none at all (Felder/Bosch 1971a, 10). In the after the municipality concerned. A preliminary inventory Schiepersberg Chalk their shape is mostly irregular, but of archaeological finds from the region showed that some locally even tabular and nodular flints occur (Felder 1980, workshops and exploitation zones had been known to local 568, 1989, 25).
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