Flint Flakes Tour

Burnt Flint – A Potboiler!

Small burnt flints like this one turn up frequently in prehistoric archaeology, from the Mesolithic through to the Iron Age. They may have had a number of uses, but one of those uses may have been as potboilers used in prehistoric cooking. Flints were heated up in a fire then transferred to cooking troughs or pots to boil water or cook food. Other uses that have been suggested include earth ovens for roasting food, prehistoric saunas, or early textile processing. Perhaps a combination of all of these uses.