Grimes Graves

Neolithic flint mines near the town of Brandon in eastern England. They have been under investigation since 1914 by A. L. Armstrong and other British archaeologists. About 250 mines have been discovered— funnel-shaped pits as much as 12–13 m deep, sometimes with steps chiseled in the chalk bed. Low galleries radiated from the steps at the level of the main stratum of flint. Spades made of deer antlers have been found as well as stone picks, hoes, and primitive lamps. Occasionally religious objects have been found: a stone female figurine and phallic symbols, among others. Petroglyphs have been preserved on the walls of the galleries. The exploitation of flint in Grimes Graves was begun in the Neolithic and continued until the early and middle Bronze Age (the third and second millennia B.C.).