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© Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Girona
Omeka ID 3143
Ripoll
Prehistory

jade axe

MAC GIR-000366

Object type
jade axe
Production date
-6000 / -4700
Fabric
-
Museum
Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Girona
Culture
Prehistory
Discovery location
Ripoll
Materials
jade, igneous rock
Township
Ripoll (Europa, Espanya, Catalunya, Girona, Ripollès)
Technique
polishing
Where is it?
MASPG
Dimensions
78 x 43 x 22 mm
Description
Polished axe of jade, from Ripoll, and dating to the early Neolithic (5600 - 4500 BC). This type of axe is a very characteristic piece of the Neolithic period, and its use extended until well into the Bronze Age. Jade or jadeite polished axes have been found throughout the territory of Western Europe, including the northern Iberian Peninsula. The origin of these axes, according to investigations carried out, is in the Alps, in the north of the Italian Peninsula. This region has been considered the only possible origin for jade or jadeite Neolithic axes. According to some researchers, these polished axes were not used as a working tool, despite the hardness of the material, but as a prestige element because many of those found in funeral sites did not have marks of use. Therefore, these types of axes may be used to show the social status of the individual or his belonging to a social group.

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