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Leisters are three-pronged fishing spears with backwards angled barbs or shoulders. Exceptionally preserved Mesolithic sites like Tybring Vig in Denmark have yielded both parts and assembled examples of these tools from over 6000 years ago.

I bought this handaxe and scraper from Dr. James Dilley many moons ago, trying to cheer myself up mid-pandemic… and I’ve finally got them out to put on display! Aren’t they beautiful? The scraper flake came from the handaxe production. Look at the iron staining 😍
#FlintFriday

From 4000BC the first types of invasively flaked arrowheads to be made & used arrive in Britain with Neolithic farmers. Instead of the 'nibbled' edges seen on earlier microliths, these arrowheads had flakes driven across their surfaces via a pressure flaker.

📸 emmalouwynjones

Prehistoric workshops at Creswell Crags 🦣 - not many spaces left!

We are running workshops with our good friend Sally Pointer in August at the Crags. You can spend an action packed few days knapping, carving, weaving, net making & jewellery making:

creswell-crags.org.uk/events-listings

Sledge production to carry a 1 tonne stone which would be pulled by 30 school children as part of BBC2's Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed. Working with my friend Luke Winter and the ATC team we used stone, bone, antler and wooden tools.

📸 emmalouwynjones

Neolithic food - A farmers feast

With the Neolithic came a taste for pork, beef, dairy and beer (with fruit & veg), all cooked or prepared in pots! Evidence of salt production from Loftus shows people may have seasoned their food as well as preserved it.

📸 emmalouwynjones

While there are many aspects of prehistory that will remain forever out of reach, there are some parts that can be 'rebuilt' to create an experience for visitors. The Neolithic longhouse at la Hougue Bie museum Jersey Heritage is a great example of this!

📸 emmalouwynjones

When we have the luxury of setting out a full living history display, I love to show some of the possible foods of prehistory. Its one of the best talking points with visitors as they see pots with unknown contents and ask “what's for dinner?”

📸 emmalouwynjones

Finally some good weather to get the bronze gleaming!

Later Bronze Age spear heads like this are challenging to cast and time-consuming to finish. But the effort is worth it for their golden shine that would have been seen above the heads of groups of people over 3000 years ago.

A shot from the past, but here in the present.

Despite its Chalcolithic origins the barbed & tanged arrowhead now holds a place in modern symbolism. The triangular form and equal barbs was used in later iron arrows, even in your mouse cursor....

📸 emmalouwynjones

From all corners, Neolithic axes hold their own stories in stone across hundreds of miles & many of hours flaking then grinding. These tools, and the quarrying to make them had one of the first major impacts on the landscape in Britain just under 6000 years ago.

emmalouwynjones

Minutes to make, but last thousands upon thousands of years. Palaeolithic handaxes were the tools of humans who were starting to manipulate the materials in the world around them in more complex ways from just under 2 million years ago to around 50,000 years ago.

Bronze axe casting workshops spaces available!

Our bronze casting workshops are incredibly popular and its amazing to see them fill up so fast. I've managed to open up a few spaces on the axe casting workshop at the Great Orme Mines and here in Norfolk:

ancientcraft.co.uk/event-details/…

Tomorrow I'm back at Stanwick Lakes as we look to get these Bronze Age boats finished for the launch weekend on the 20th July!
We are edging closer to completing the hulls as their interiors are refined and splinters removed. We might even get some of the transom boards fitted...

Flint knappers PPE late 19th century style. Amazed how anyone could see through these safety googles whilst making gun flint. #flint friday #flint #gunflint #PPE #Suffolk #knappedflint #flint knapping #flint knapper #flint wall #flint work
#architecture #heritagecrafts #heritageskill

Making Must Farm at Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery -
It was great to see friends at the 'Introducing Must Farm' exhibit preview evening, and especially pleasing to see our work (as replicas & film) displayed alongside the original Bronze Age artefacts recovered by Cambridge Archaeological Unit.

#Heritage events Stanwick Lakes!
🛶This weekend watch our #BigBronzeAgeBoatBuild in action with Dr. James Dilley!
🛖 1st June - Open Day at our #IronAge Settlement - weaving, food, blacksmithing, woodwork, crafts & storytelling!
See you there! All FREE thanks to
The National Lottery Heritage Fund🤞

The newly reopened #GrimesGraves exhibition features the video I filmed with Dr. James Dilley; knapping, polishing and hafting a Neolithic axehead before using it to fell a tree. It was great to see it in situ being enjoyed by John Lord, the Grandfather of flintknapping!

Stone Age replicas on their way to Creswell Crags 🦣 gift shop!

From Creswellian points to antler harpoons and glass handaxes, you'll soon be able to get some pretty unique gifts over at crags-shop.com There are not many places you can purchase replicas like these!