File:Microburins, backed bladelet and mostly Mesolithic blades (FindID 505016).jpg

English: A group of 9 or 10 microburins from a 2 hectare field amongst a total of 850 worked flint fragments including waste and utilised pieces and tools. The flints have individual GPS records to a few metres accuracy which form a cluster extending beyond but centred in the field close to a brook at the edge of its flat alluvial plain and slightly above. The flints form a broad funnel to a crossing point and continue less frequently on the other side. There is no modern obvious preferential ford but fallen branches make natural bridges and a particular one may have begun a tradition and a path beaten to it may have been maintained long after it had rotted. The find rate was 30-50 flints per hour and compares with a background expectation of one tenth of this and a few scatters exceeding ten times this field. The first search was on an unequally visible surface with patchy weed cover and manuring. It was fortunate that this was ploughed in and heavy rain shortly allowed a more equal search. The maps have necessarily not been included in this entry but the data is available on request. The field overlies mylor slate and there are many fragments with the associated vein quartz. There is also much granite from the nearby intrusion and up to boulder size greenstone or lava which also occurrs nearby. Most of this material must be here naturally. There were only a couple of possibly ground pieces so intense dwelling or settlement is not suggested. There was no unusual coloured sediment or prehistoric pottery found so there are no erosion of archaeology issues at this time.The microburins comprise the proximal ends of small blades. Some have a simple snap and may be confused in this case with production of Neolithic blades, which also occurrs in this scatter. Others are classic Mesolithic attributions with snapped through notches. 641.6 bears close comparison with CORN-F892A-7 as an example of controlled heat treated flint.The 99 cores on site; some of them small and bladelet producing are likely sourced from Marazion beach; 5km away and some further. Nearby Clodgy Moor included a backed bladelet of Mesolithic type with remaining nodular cortex and hence sourced from Devon or further afield. Included in the illustration is a single but fine crescent backed bladelet. Although the sample is small there appears to be a low ratio of backed bladelets to microburins here. There is illustrated a selection of Mesolithic blades showing controlled repetitious blade scars on the dorsal surface and often another truncated set at a slight angle. 641.11 and 641.13 are examples of this. The finds at Carn Brea(Mercer, 1981) show that blade production was still important in the Neolithic. Some examples are included. 641.27 with its informal preparation from a large nodule is likely Neolithic or even Early Bronze Age. CORN-3A0FF2 accessess the cores from this scatter. CORN-4A1CE8 describes a selection of flint knives. CORN-4CC906 describes the scrapers and CORN-4E4372 miscellaneous tools.