Technology

One of the earliest tools our forebears used was made from this - it's a lump of flint. Nobody is really sure how it is formed but it is a hard form of quartz and it is found in chalk or limestone. It is brittle and if struck in particular directions can be broken to yield sharp splinters that would have been used as blades. It's also used extensively as a building material round here and there are many walls faced with knapped flint.

So there ya go - a quick blip that meant I didn't have to go too far :-)