Tools made from flint and sea snail

In the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods (10,000 – 5,500 BC), most tools were made from stone, primarily flint (Silex), which is widespread in the Alps. Tools such as blades, scrapers, burins, awls, and small arrowheads (microliths and trapezoidal points) were created using specific techniques. In addition to more common tools, the Columbella rustica (sea snail) shell was also discovered at Plan de Frea, which is the most important Mesolithic excavation site in the Southern Alpine region.