Flint Knapping - An Ancient Art

Lough Gur is at the heart of one of Ireland's most impressive prehistoric landscapes. Over 400 stone axes have been recorded in the immediate vicinity of the lake. Stone was a central component of life in the past and we are unreservedly overjoyed to have Farina Sternke coming to lead a workshop looking at stone production and tool creation in prehistoric Ireland. This is a rare opportunity to learn about the rise and development of stone tool production in Ireland alongside having the opportunity to actually turn your hand at some flint knapping. This is a skill very few people today posess, and we are very happy that Farina will be on hand to offer her skill and expertise.

Farina graduated with a BA in Archaeology at UCC and completed an MA in Archaeology at UCC and the University of Copenhagen. She also holds a BA degree in Egyptology. While Farina had been interested in lithic technology and prehistory since she found her first flint scraper as a child, it was in Denmark where she began to train as a stone knapper with Mikkel Sørensen, now Associate Professor at the SAXO Institute at the University of Copenhagen. Having completed her doctorate in Archaeology at the University of Southampton, Farina worked in Scotland and Ireland and cooperated with a large network of colleagues in Europe and beyond. 

She was fortunate to have worked alongside the world’s most renowned stone knappers and experimental archaeologists. Her research topics included the Middle Palaeolithic use of non-flint raw materials in Europe, the transmission of knapping skills throughout prehistory and Irish stone technology. Farina worked as a consultant lithic analyst on NRA road projects before retiring from Archaeology after 20 years in 2015 to pursue her other interests.