Today I went on a small trip with my wife and son to collect some new pieces of flint. The previous flint I brought from this cave is broken into way to small pieces to use with steel striker.
On the left of this picture, you can clearly see the flint bank. It’s compressed between two layers of marl. The funny thing about these marl caves is that the flint is only a side product. People who were working in these caves were out for marl to build house and churches or to make cement. But just like our ancestors, the Neanderthalers, it’s the flint that brings me here.
Walking in a cave like this always smells like an adventure. It’s dark and cold, and you’ll never know who or what you’ll come across. The cave we visited is open for public and not very big. You’ll never get really lost in it.
To collect some flint I didn’t cut into the ceiling nor the walls. I prefer not to take the risk the whole cave would collapse. There are plenty of pieces of flint just laying on the ground. What can be easier than just picking them up?
However, I should have taken some precautions, like wearing gloves. I’ve cut my finger just by picking up a piece of flint. Didn’t they used to make knives and axes from silex 😉 ?
