Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons) Historical Site

Address: Spiennes (near Mons), Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium

A major Neolithic flint-mining complex near Mons in Wallonia, Belgium, representing large-scale prehistoric extraction and production of flint for tool-making, dating to the Neolithic period (4th millennium BCE).

The landscape contains numerous vertical shafts and galleries excavated into flint-bearing deposits, visible spoil heaps and working surfaces, alongside areas interpreted as flint-knapping workshops. Several conserved shafts provide direct evidence of prehistoric mining techniques and the organisation of production.

Interpretation at the site focuses on methods of extraction, the scale of prehistoric industry and the ways finished flint tools were produced and circulated in Neolithic Europe.

Neolithic communities excavated the flint-bearing strata to extract high-quality raw material for tool manufacture; the scale and complexity of the workings document organised prehistoric labour and technical knowledge during the 4th millennium BCE. Archaeological study since the 20th century has mapped and conserved the principal areas of extraction.

Situated at Spiennes, just south of the city of Mons in the Wallonia region of Belgium, the mines occupy a hummocky landscape of pits and spoil associated with Neolithic flint extraction.

• Depth of shafts: Many shafts reach several metres in depth, with some up to around 10 metres, illustrating intensive prehistoric underground extraction techniques.
• Visitor facilities: A visitor centre and guided trails explain mining methods and allow safe inspection of several conserved shafts and galleries.

What to See#

• Mine shafts and galleries: Neolithic mine shafts and galleries cut into chalk and flint-bearing strata, including vertical shafts leading to horizontal galleries used for flint extraction.
• Workshop and habitation areas: Associated workshop and settlement areas where raw flint was worked into tools and blanks before distribution within prehistoric networks.

• Pre-book a guided visit to the underground galleries - access to the Neolithic flint mines is controlled and most of the best-preserved galleries are only open with scheduled guided tours from the site's visitor centre.
• Arrive first thing in the morning or on weekday mornings to join smaller tour groups; the surface archaeological features are spread out, so allow time to walk between the interpretive points rather than trying to see everything in one short stop.