A Taste for Green: An American/European Perspective on Ancient Jade, Turquoise and Variscite Exchange

Often along vast expanses, ancient societies traded certain commodities that were considered valuable either for functional or symbolic reasons, or rather, a combination of both factors. We shall address the state of the art with regard to the acquisition of jade, turquoise, or variscite, all of which share a characteristic greenish color and engaging appearance. We wish to explore how, in addition to constituting economic transactions, the transfers of these materials were also statements of social liaisons, personal capacities, or relationships to places or unseen forces.

We are centering on two study areas, Western Europe and México/Southwest US, which are far apart not just in geographical terms but also regarding their chronology and socioeconomic features. While some North and Mesoamerican groups range from relatively complex farming societies to state-like organizations during the 1st and 2nd Millennia AD, their European counterparts are comparatively simpler polities spanning the 5th - 3rd Millennia BC. By contrasting the archaeological evidence from diverse areas we may gain insight into the role that production and movement of green stones played in their respective political and ritual economies. Also, we think it useful to compare scientific approaches applied to this question in different parts of the globe.