257 



large and small rounded masses, were evidently used as 

 hammers, and still bear marks of rough service on their 

 bruised faces ; many of the larger elongated forms served the 

 purpose of hammei's likewise, as is shown by their crushed 

 and battered sides. The large flints were worked into 

 '' haclies/^ which are often more or less oval or almond- 

 shaped, either end of which might have been used (figs. 4, 5, 

 11, 16), whilst there are a few which bear a remarkable 

 resemblance to the river-gravel forms, broad at one end and 

 pointed at the other (fig. 7), and it has been questioned whether 

 these Neolithic implements may not have had the narrow 

 extremity in use, as appears to have been the case with the 

 earlier weapons j the general rule, however, apparently being 

 that the implements of this sort were, during the Neolithic 

 age, sharpened at their broad end, whilst, in the Pala3o- 

 lithic, the point of the implement was used. The forms of 

 the axe-like tools or weapons present us with several varieties, 

 some (as fig. 8) being long and narrow, others (as figs. 9, 12) 

 are bi'oadened at the base, and are very similar to some of the 

 Danish axes from the shell mounds. Large and small scrapers 

 are plentiful, presenting, however, no special features, but 

 long lance-head-like flakes (fig. 10) occur, some of which are 

 not only carefully chipped on every side, but have been 

 found also partially polished. These, however, appear to 

 have been made from an already-polished celt, which was, 

 probably, considered too precious to waste. Such smaller 

 implements, fashioned out of broken polished ones, are not 

 uncommon, and specimens are tolerably abundant in the 

 ancient camp of Hastedon, neai^ Namur, where barbed 

 arrow-heads are also occasionally obtained, and are " cha- 

 racteristic of this stage of human culture ^^ (Dupont). The 

 polished celts or '' haches " found at Spiennes are very similar 

 to those met with elsewhere. Fig. 18 represents a some- 

 what curious short form, notched at the sides in order to 

 afford a firm hold for the ligature binding it to a shaft. 

 Fig. 17 is a broken portion of a larger implement which has 

 been partly polished, or, perhaps, has been chipped subse- 

 quently to its first use as a polished axe. 



Another form of implement is found at Spiennes which is 

 peculiar, namely, a rather large and flat triangular flake, 

 which has been worked to a point at one of its angles. It 

 was most likely used as a boring-tool. 



These are the chief implements which appear to have been 

 made in this primitive factory. That it must have been 

 long established, during a tolerably settled period, is shown 

 by the enormous number of tools and weapons still found on 



