Green Treasures from the Magic Mountains: The Use of Jadeitite and Other Alpine Rocks in Neolithic Europe

Summary

The results of a major, French-led international research program investigating the use of jadeitite and other Alpine rocks in Neolithic Europe - Project JADE and JADE2 - are summarized. The significance of the green color of most of these rocks, and of the montane location of their sources, is discussed in terms of the belief systems of the people who made, exchanged, and used the axe- and adze-heads and disc-rings made of these materials. The ways in which these materials were recognized in prehistory are reviewed, and the life-histories of certain artifacts are described. Some case studies highlighting the way in which Alpine objects moved and were used are presented.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• A Taste for Green: An American/European Perspective on Ancient Jade, Turquoise and Variscite Exchange

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15167