Polished jadeite axe blade found in Bélebierg (Junglinster). Period: Neolithic, 4500 to 2500 BC). National Museum of History and Art in Luxembourg.
Nearly one hundred jadeite axe blades have been found in the Grand Duchy, mainly in the eroded areas of the sandy plateaus of the Luxembourg Sandstone. Most of them are quite small. Only a few are of a significant size, including this large polished axe blade found by Mich Hoss at Bélebierg near Junglinster. Made of jadeite, a material imported from the remote western Alps in north-western Italy, it is polished to a high gloss, having been rubbed on stationary or portable “polissoirs”, often sandstone. This honing technique, developed during the Neolithic period in connection with woodland clearing and woodworking in general, strengthens the cutting edge and is therefore more efficient. However, due to its thinness and its blunt edge, it is safe to assume that the Junglinster axe blade was not used in a traditional way, but that it had a purely symbolic, prestigious or ceremonial function. This exceptional object is not only a remarkable example of the Neolithic technique of polishing stone tools; as a prestige item, it symbolised the social status of its owner, and it also illustrates how raw materials, goods and ideas were exchanged and contacts made over long distances.
Size: 4024px × 6048px
Location: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Photo credit: © Adam Ján Figeľ / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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