Tuesday Time Table - Stone Tools: Bath

Thousands of years before the Romans came to Britain the land was occupied by prehistoric hunter–gathers. Stone tools were a big part of everyday life for the hunter who used them for warfare/defence, cooking and craft.

In the centre of Bath there is little evidence for prehistoric occupation. However, there is evidence to suggest a large amount of settlement lay on the surrounding hills.

Sacred Spring Excvation

During the excavation of the Sacred Spring within the Roman Baths complex in 1979 a number of prehistoric flint tools were found. The finds included scrapers, an arrowhead and unfinished projectile points, a possible knife, worked flakes and two microliths. Tool technology of this assemblage is characteristic of others found in Mesolithic Britain; particularly the microliths. The projectile points indicate a later Neolithic date. All of this clearly tells us that the prehistoric population had been attracted to the hot springs at Bath for centuries before the Romans ‘discovered’ them.

Flints from the Spring

At Rainbow Wood, on the outskirts of Bath the evidence strongly suggests temporary prehistoric settlement. Here excavations uncovered 306 flint fragments including hundreds of flakes, an arrow head, a blade, scrapers, an awl and microliths. The presence of this flint assemblage confirms prehistoric activity of an early farming group. This is just one of a few sites that have excavated on the hills around bath that show this type of prehistoric activity…..