Jacek Lech

The prehistoric flint mine at Wierzbica ‘Zele’: A case study from Poland

Abstract Many prehistoric flint mines have been excavated in the last fifteen years in Poland. One examined for the first time is the ‘Zele’ mine at Wierzbica, Radom distr. 120km south of Warsaw, excavated by the authors. Chocolate‐coloured flint was extracted here. The paper outlines the research strategy and results of the first five years of investigations. Flint was extracted from eluvial clays and upper Jurassic limestones through open shafts 3–7m deep, some possessing small side workings. The site was exploited with interruptions over a long period probably from the Final Palaeolithic to the Early Iron Age. The widest distribution of chocolate flint of ‘Zele’ type occurred among the early farming communities of the 4th millennium.