World Heritage Identification Number: 1006
World Heritage since: 2000
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇧🇪 Belgium
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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The Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons): A Unique European Legacy
The Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes, situated in the vicinity of the Walloon village of Spiennes, southeast of Mons, Belgium, stand as a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of prehistoric human societies. This extensive mining complex, spanning over 100 hectares, is a significant archaeological site that offers insights into the Neolithic era, making it a worthy addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2000.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes, covering more than 100 ha, are the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines in Europe. They are also remarkable for the diversity of technological solutions used for extraction and for the fact that they are directly linked to a settlement of the same period.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (i): The Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes provide exceptional testimony to early human inventiveness and application.
Criterion (iii): The arrival of the Neolithic cultures marked a major milestone in human cultural and technological development, which is vividly illustrated by the vast complex of ancient flint mines at Spiennes.
Criterion (iv): The flint mines at Spiennes are outstanding examples of the Neolithic mining of flint, which marked a seminal stage of human technological and cultural progress.
Encyclopedia Record: Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes
The Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes are among the largest and earliest Neolithic flint mines which survive in north-western Europe, located close to the Walloon village of Spiennes, southeast of Mons, Belgium. The mines were active during the mid and late Neolithic between 4,300 and 2,200 BC. Declared to be "remarkable for the diversity of technological solutions used for extraction" the site and its surroundings were inducted into the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 2000.Additional Site Details
Area: 172 hectares
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 50.4201134823 , 3.9822689106
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© Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
