Licht für die Toten – Feuerzeuge in den spätneolithischen Großsteingräbern von Erwitte-Schmerlecke (Kr. Soest)

Abstract

Light for the Dead – Strike-a-Lights in the Late Neolithic Megalithic Tombs from Erwitte-Schmerlecke (Kr. Soest)

In this article a larger series of Neolithic strike-a-lights from a verified closed find is presented for the first time. 206 strike-a-lights were discovered in two late Neolithic gallery tombs from Erwitte-Schmerlecke in the Westphalian Hellweg zone which were completely examined between 2009 and 2013. The series mainly consist of little-worked Baltic flint fragments; however, tools of Western European flint were used as well. Particularly noteworthy are the fragments of two types of axe blades of Lousberg flint as well as two flint strike-a-lights with inherent spherical remains of the associated marcasite nodule. Comparable archaeological finds and the number of individuals buried in the graves from Schmerlecke indicate that only men were provided with such percussion strike-a-lights – perhaps as a part of their day-to-
day equipment / costume.