Guidebook: Grimes Graves
Grime's Graves is the most famous group of Neolithic flint mines in Britain. The mysterious, shallow depressions - 433 in all - in the Breckland heathland are in fact the infilled shafts and pits of these mines, which were dug up to 5,000 years ago to extract the underlying layers of high-quality flint. Flint was a vital commodity in the lives of prehistoric people, providing weapons for hunting, axes for tree-felling and other implements for domestic and ceremonial use.