At 09:20 19.10.98 -0500, you wrote:
>In the University of West Florida investigation of an early 18th century
>Spanish presidio in Pensacola, we encountered a pit with 1217 charcoal gray
>gunspalls and flints just outside the walls of a Spanish fort.
>Unfortunately, I cannot date the cache, and it is either Spanish or
>British.  All were unused and made from the same chert.
>
>Has anyone found such a large cache of gunspalls and flints?  If so, what
>was the context and cultural association?
>>
>Dr. Judith A. Bense, Professor and Director
>Archaeology Institute
>University of West Florida
>11,000 University Parkway
>Pensacola, FL 32514
>voice: 850-474-2474
>fax:   850-474-2764
>
 
This may be of little help but would be an "exotic" reference:
 
Weiner, Jürgen
1988
Ein bemerkenswerter Fund von Flintensteinen aus Königshoven.
Archäologie im Rheinland 1987. Habelt (Bonn 1988) 169-171.
 
A cache of about 200 flints (unused) was found in the Rhineland. From local
written sources it became clear that the French Revolution troops halted
there in 1794. All flints were honey-colored French varieties which makes
me suspect that yours are at least from the British mines. Sources also
revealed that during the French Revolutionary war a barrel contained about
200 specimen, hence the interpretation goes that a barrel dropped of a cart
and broke and subsequently was left there. Obviously flints were in good
supply.
 
If you read German I can send you a copy of the article. Also I would be
interested in refs on the use of gunspalls and flint by the Spanish in
Fl/Carribbean.
 
Should explain that I previously worked on European Mesolithic-Neolithic
exchange systems and now turned to Historical Archaeology. That's why.
 
best,
 
 
 
Dr. Detlef Gronenborn
 
Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universitaet             home:
Seminar fuer Vor- und Fruehgeschichte           Kronberger Str. 21
Archaeologie und Archaeobotanik Afrikas         D-60323 Frankfurt am Main
Robert-Mayer-Str.1                              Germany
D-60325 Frankfurt am Main                       Tel.(+)49-(0)69-17 38 17
Germany                                         alternative e-mail:
[log in to unmask]                  [log in to unmask]
http://www.rz.uni-frankfurt.de/~bornu