The Spread of Flint Axes and Daggers in Neolithic Scandinavia

Flint has a limited distribution in the Scandinavian area, natural sources being largely confined to the southern regions. Here, the use of flint for making daggers and polished axes during the Neolithic is widespread and extensive. There is also evidence for mining of flint at Södra Sallerup in southern Sweden and on several sites in Denmark, but flint is available in till deposits as well. The goal of the article is to study the distribution of flint as a raw material in Neolithic contexts, concentrating on local and long-distance movement. We begin with a discussion of flint sources and their exploitation during the Neolithic. Thereafter we present three case studies illustrating how the use of flint varied over both time and space