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Reposted by Dr. James Dilley

Dr Tess Machling @tessmachling.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

I also got to *hold the Bronze Age Ellastone Dress Fastener!!! (*I'm fibbing... this is a gorgeous replica by the very talented James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social ) #Archaeology #BronzeAge 🏺

The Ellastone dress fastener replica made by James Dilley. The fastener is a curved bar with two wide cone shaped terminals

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Reposted by Dr. James Dilley

Emma Jones @emlouwynjones.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Finishing and polishing these miniature bronze axehead pendants on a cold winters day. Thank goodness @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social has the furnace going to cast some (much larger) MBA basal looped spears! 😍

A collection of 8 miniature bronze axehead pendants at different stages of finish and polish.

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

No idea sadly, I know there is an axe from Wales that has textile remains. Almost definitely not the same one though.

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

I did! I’ll grab it from the collection of flaked axes and take a picture. Need to grind and polish it someday soon. That was a long walk with all that flint!

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

@nasadler.bsky.social Nice to see you on the Prehistory Guys recording earlier. Hope you’re keeping well!

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Might have to ask for a follow, can’t seem to message you (you can unfollow after 😉)

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

@elliescerri.bsky.social Hey! Hope you’re keeping well! Would you mind if I dropped you a message about some sites to visit in Malta? (Finally getting the chance to visit!)

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

It must be a recent change (I would guess dictated by the channel). It was originally just “Ice Age”, then “Ice Age: A frozen world”, now this. It’s also had a long delay since filmed ended in 2022.

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

This was probably due to defence/offence and an opportunity to show status through martial prowess. You can imagine cattle raiding was common at this time and while herders wanted to protect their livestock from other Neolithic groups, the last Mesolithic groups must have also seen an opportunity.

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Raids on enclosures saw the use of hundreds of flint-tipped arrows that would have rained down on the occupants at places like Crickley Hill. Noticeably, the faunal remains at Neolithic sites shows a shift away from wild hunted game, and yet archery equipment remains common.

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

With this new way of life and larger populations came a noticeable increase in violence towards people of all ages and sexes. Significant proportions of skeletal remains in Neolithic tombs show blunt force trauma that would have been fatal.

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

But the downsides are the hard work involved that left its mark on peoples bones and shortened their average lifespan. Grinding large quantities of grain, breaking ground with antlers and felling trees all took its toll. Then there is the violence.

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

This new method of producing food might mean you don't have to move as much on a seasonal basis, and offer the opportunity for population growth. We think of bread when talking about grain, but it can also be used for brewing, and Neolithic people didn't miss the opportunity!

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Further evidence from Denmark shows that an individual of Mesolithic hunter-gatherer ancestry lived with the new agriculturalists before they were brutally killed. Are we seeing a violent takeover? New ideas & technology spreading? Colonisation? Or a combination? 📸 @emlouwynjones.bsky.social

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Agriculture, the technology that changed the world (and us) A seasonal cycle of moving to different campsites to utilise food sources changed to working the land. Neolithic farmers appear to have genetically dominated the smaller hunter-gatherer groups within a short period of time. 🏺🦣🧪

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Just got to the druids and now UFO landing strips. How disappointing

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Definitely better now Alison, Mike, Jennifer and others have appeared

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

We’re about 5 mins in, not great 😬

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

How did people make arrowheads in the Stone Age? A flake of stone would be trimmed, then have hundreds of tiny flakes detached using an antler point. The knapper would put pressure on the flaker tool from their abdomen while the flake was braced again a leg. 🎥 @emlouwynjones.bsky.social

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 28/12/2024

Not made the Towie ball yet, but have made several others. Drop me a message!

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Reposted by Dr. James Dilley

Joana Valdez-Tullett @joanavaldez.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

My gorgeous Christmas present 💝 By the hands of lovely @emlouwynjones.bsky.social and @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

It’s being recorded with Portable Antiquities soon hopefully, but their aim is just to record rather than keep.

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

I have good days and bad (the bad days I go back to bronze casting 🙄)

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

Well, it’s finally happened, one for the bucket list. This week I found a flint handaxe at Happisburgh while walking with friends. Their shared concern was due to my delighted dancing looking like I was having a funny turn!

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Handaxes on the move! We’ve been busy making lots of replica prehistoric goodies for Christmas presents. But a couple found themselves on a plane with @profaliceroberts.bsky.social heading to Australia for her Cells to Civilisation tour! Here’s one of Palaeolithic handaxes being made: 🏺 🦣 🧪

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Reposted by Dr. James Dilley

Dr. Ellery Frahm @elleryfrahm.com · 30/11/2024

I have many new followers since I last introduced myself. I'm an #archaeologist at Yale, and one of my specialties is identifying the geological origins of obsidian artifacts using nondestructive chemical tests. This carved obsidian bowl, for example, originated from a source in northeastern Turkey.

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Reposted by Dr. James Dilley

Julien Riel-Salvatore @julienrs.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

In honor of #FlintFriday, get a load of this chonky beauty from the Collection Smith at UdeM: a textbook amygdaloid Acheulean handaxe on tan flint. I especially dig the differential patination shown by color differences that suggests one of two possible trajectories in this tool's use-life... 1/3

Amygdaloid flint handaxe with bifacial retouch made from a large nodule of tan flint. The butt (lower part) and right side are more heavily patinated, having a darker brown color but still fresh flint scars.

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

I am often asked what I do with the flakes from flintknapping when making a large tool (and am occasionally accused of being wasteful). But many are saved for arrowheads or other tools, while others are saved for workshops so students can practice making scrapers and flake tools.

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Reposted by Dr. James Dilley

Dr Matt Pope @mattpope.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

The Ossuary, Jersey, with extra lens flare. A small Cist-in-Circle tomb The remains of 20 people were interred in this little chamber of pink & grey granite during the Chalcolithic. Built amidst coastal woodland before sand dunes inundated it. @jerseyheritage.bsky.social #TombTuesday #AncientSky 🏺

Two granite pillars 1m high and a round capstone 1m across face a high dune, with sun behind

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Weirdest material I've knapped? There are a few, but can you guess what this is? Art group Troika asked me to make flint handaxes which would be fitted to silicon wafer boards as part of several art installations including "Pink Noise" at the Langen Foundation... 📷 @emlouwynjones.bsky.social

Image of Palaeolithic style handaxe made from shiny material with silver, metallic lustre.

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Oh great, only just a ‘lesser’ evil then

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Yeah Bluesky seems to be the New Hope. Enjoyed reading the piece on George Ryan - thanks for that.Will have to stop by Nelson’s column when I’m next in London

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Sorry that might have sounded flippant, but is genuine concern/disbelief

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Ah nice! He was discussed on a Rest is History pod is listened to, I’ll check out the post. Horrible it received such a nasty response, but depressingly predictable these days. I cannot understand some of the comments that seemingly have no obvious connection/response though. Bots I guess

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

I hope so, and hope FB will catch up with them soon. The concern is that non followers who’d get some benefit from posts will be put off by crap like that

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Sadly the AncientCraft Facebook page is becoming overrun with comments like this on almost every post/video. Frightening stuff… *blocks user*

Screen shot from the AncientCraft Facebook showing a post with a video of flintknapping. Most recent comment reads: “Thank GOD Trump did win or we'd be in a drag queen commie hell right now. That's if we lived through the derp states nuclear war using the cabals' naughty baby the Ukraine who likes to put bio weapon labs on the front with Russia.”

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Reposted by Dr. James Dilley

Rachel Pope @prehistorian.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Prehistorians starter pack: go.bsky.app/R1ejt58

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Reposted by Dr. James Dilley

Mark Knight 🍉 @markknight63.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

Early Bronze Age tree-rings & tidal bundles (laminated roddon fills) #Fenland

Slice through a preserved tree from the deep peat deposits at Must Farm.

Laminated tidal deposits (sand & silt) from a roddon or preserved tidal channel in Fenland

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Making a Bronze Age axe… A few years ago @emlouwynjones.bsky.social and I made a film for Kings Lynn museum showing the heating, casting and finishing involved in making the kind of axes used to make Seahenge. Here is a shortened version:

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Technology that seemingly started with working silicon is now mostly driven by it. One of the weirder materials I’ve knapped was refined silicon from an ingot that are typically used for microchips. Though it flakes, it’s quite unlike flint or glass, but can be used to make a Palaeolithic handaxe!

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

What’s under this flake? While I was working on this flint I discovered this little fellow who had been trapped in flint for 90 million years. Fossils like this can make flintknapping tricky as they can divert or stop the plane of fracture which forms a flake. But what did I make in the end?

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

I’ll try and find some time to make a clay mould with some fingerprints. But I’d be very surprised if the bronze caught such fine detail. I’m putting my money on skin oil damage. But whether that is modern or ancient is possibly harder to say?

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Some experimentation needed, and I’d love to see some very close images of the print. That would definitely help diagnose the cause. I also wouldn’t rule out how corrosive skin oil is. If the finder handled it and left it for a while I could see damage occurring Lea I g a print

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

I could see an axe template being pushed into clay to make a mould. You often end up with a sticky surface when you remove the template that would pickup the print of a misplaced finger. The main issue for me is that bronze doesn’t like to pick up such fine detail with modern encouragement

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Dr. James Dilley @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

I’m not sure on this one. Evidence of lost wax casting is very limited in the UK Bronze Age (doesn’t mean it wasn’t used in this case, just unlikely). The wax would have to be pretty (really really) soft to get a finger print that detailed.

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