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Grimes Graves: The Neolithic Flint Mine Of Mysterious Rituals!
Have you folks ever heard of mining done in pre-historic times? Or, have you read, heard or seen pre-historic civilizations engaged in sophisticated mining operations? Sounds mysterious and curious, right? Well, there has been found evidence of pre-historic mining being done in ancient Britain, during the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. The mineral they mined for was flint. Let’s find out a bit more about this ancient mine where these supposedly mysterious rituals were practised since ancient times!
Grimes Graves is the name given to this large Neolithic flint Mine complex situated in Norfolk, England. Its distance from Suffolk in the East of England is approximately around 8 kilometres. The origin of this flint mine is believed to b around 2600–2300 B.C., but according to historical evidence, mining may well have continued in The Bronze and Iron Ages too! Flint was believed to be the mineral much in demand as it was used for making polished stone axes in the Neolithic Period.
Furthermore, according to archaeologists and historians, Grimes Graves is one of the most fascinating Neolithic sites in England. It consists of over more than 350 hollows in the ground marking the location of the mine shafts. Also, some of the shafts are sunk as deep as 30 feet below the surface! Can you imagine such engineering and technological ingenuity, even in those times? That’s a remarkable achievement even by today’s standards. Especially, when you consider that the Neolithic miners had only antlers for picks and animal shoulder blades for shovels! One of the antlers’ picks found at the Grimes Graves site is around 4000 years old! The miners used to sink their shafts to find seams of flint for axe making which were highly in demand during the Neolithic times. Not only this, as each shaft was worked out, the rubbish from the next shaft was dumped into it. The Neolithic miners, it has been theorised, used to climb down the shafts employing ladders or steps cut into the sides.
Now, the question arises what was the source used for light in those underground mines in the Neolithic Times? Well, according to archaeologists, the answer to that question is that light for the miners was provided by the lamps they used by scooping up a hollow of a chalk lump and filling the hollow with animal fat or oil! I mean, can you dig their state of knowledge?
One of the most remarkable and memorable discoveries at Grimes Graves has been of a supposed fertility shrine! It has been found set up in an abandoned mine shaft. The size of the shaft is quite small, which means, that the miners were unable to find the seam and gave up on further digging.
But, the truly unique aspect of the mine is that before they quit the gallery, they carved out a ledge, or an altar, upon which the figurine of the goddess was found! It was built of chalk, and it was found to be either very obese or supposedly it was pregnant!
Another important discovery was a phallus of chalk and it was surrounded by antler picks! According to historians, who have studied this shaft, it is believed, that the Neolithic miners, disappointed at not finding flint, made a religious offering to the goddess to ensure the continued fertility of the mine!
Now the most important question arises why did people in those times dig so many feet underground in often dangerous conditions? The obvious answer to many of the archaeologists, historians and the general public is for flint of course! It was the most precious commodity for making axes. However, there is another motive for digging those mines. Some mine shafts have been used as hoards for ceremonial purposes! Many historians believe that these mine shafts were used for sacred rituals and ceremonies! One of the most important ceremonies among these was the ‘abandonment ceremony, whenever, a mine was abandoned, the people used to conduct an abandonment ceremony for purification purposes! Evidence of fires being lit has been found at many of these shafts by the number of soot stains found on the walls of these mines!
Another interesting aspect is that these ceremonies continued well into the Iron Age and Bronze Age too; and according to archaeologists, may well have continued into the early and medieval ages also. The name of this shaft was first coined at the time of the Celts, who believed that these mines were used for some ancient ritualistic purposes.
Even during the late renaissance period, historians and scholars who visited this site have written copiously about Grimes Graves in their accounts. This site was first properly discovered in the mid-nineteenth century.
Today, Grimes Graves has been declared a historical heritage site by UNESCO, and thousands of tourists from all over the world throng the city of Norfolk to visit these. The excellence in engineering and scientific techniques available to the miners of the Neolithic period can be seen today also and it makes people gasp in wonder and amazement.
However, the mystery of the rituals that were conducted in those mine shafts during those times remains unsolved and hence, remains an enigma today also!
