A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



in chipping obtained by early man, if we except the finest of the Danish and 

 Egyptian pieces. The majority, however, are long and narrow, with sides 

 approximately parallel. Chipped celts of this description are met with in 

 large numbers in three districts of England : the South Downs of Sussex, 

 and especially in the neighbourhood of Eastbourne ; the River Thames and 

 its affluent the Lea, from the beds of which some hundreds have been dredged ; 

 and the Fen districts. The South Downs are near to the sea ; the Thames 

 is the most important waterway of the south of England ; whilst the Fens 

 were at that time probably a chain of lakes leading to the sea. It seems 

 probable therefore that these long chipped axes had as their main use the 

 hollowing out of canoes. Canoes were probably made by lighting fires 

 along the upper side of trunks of trees felled for the purpose. When the 

 wood was sufficiently charred axes of this kind would be admirably adapted 

 for stubbing out the half-burnt wood ; and by repetition of the process the 

 canoe would be made. 



Polished axes, of which many have been found in Suffolk, differ from 

 those found in many parts of the country, in that owing to the abundance, 

 large size, and fine quality of the flint found in the county, this material 

 has been much more widely used for axes than elsewhere. Where flint is 

 scarce or of inferior quality neolithic man took great pains to obtain fine 

 hard stones other than flint to make into poUshed axes. Where he could 

 not obtain a suitable stone in his own district he imported it from a distance ; 

 and there is evidence of barter on a considerable scale, whether of the raw 

 material or of the finished article. There was httle necessity for this in 

 Suffolk ; for though flint is a somewhat intractable substance to work into 

 shape and to polish, nothing could be better for the end in view when once 

 the necessary labour had been gone through. 



In all districts where flint is easily obtained and where neolithic man 

 has left his traces, scrapers are found in large numbers — so common indeed 

 are they that there is a tendency amongst collectors to despise these 

 humble but highly useful little tools. Nowhere have they been found in 

 such large numbers as in Suffolk ; and nowhere are they found of such real 

 beauty, both of material and of workmanship, as in the north-western part of 

 the county. They vary in size from a split pea up to great implements 4 in. or 

 5 in. long. And they are of all shapes — circular, oval, spoon-shaped, duck's- 

 bill, oblong with the corners rounded off, and many other forms. Many of 

 them are made of very fine material ; translucent chalcedonic flint, red jasperoid 

 flint, rich brown flint, variegated and striped flint. And the natural beauty of 

 the stone is often increased by the changes that time has produced on the surface. 

 This may be brilliantly lustrous ; or the natural colour of the flints may have 

 been intensified or altogether changed under the influence of the surroundings 

 in which for countless centuries they have lain. More especially is this 

 the case with those found in the fen districts, where the wet soil, largely 

 made up of rotting vegetation, stains the flint of a beautiful red-brown colour 

 unmistakable when once seen. A picked collection of Sufi^olk scrapers may 

 almost be compared to a collection of precious minerals. Indeed, thosd who 

 are not familiar with neolithic objects from this district would hardly 

 believe what very beautiful things they are in themselves, apart from the 

 interest attaching to them from the human and archaeological point of view. 



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