Stone axe studies III

This volume builds upon the model of the first Stone Axe Studies volume published in 1979. It explores how scholars from various parts of the world currently approach these distinctive items. Some papers are united by specific material, such as those working on Jadeite axe blades in western and Central Europe. For others, the link is analytical (e.g., the development of new geochemical techniques), contextual (e.g., work on techniques of hafting or on patterns of deposition) or conceptual (e.g., the uses made of ethno-historic and related models). Taken together, they document the state of the art in stone axe research in Britain and abroad, at the same time providing a much needed basis for comparative study and for debate regarding analytical and interpretative issues.

Cover; Introduction; Chapter 1 The experienced axe. Chronology, conditionand context of TRB-axes in western Norway; Chapter 2 The Nøstvet Axe; Chapter 3 The evolution of Neolithic and Chalcolithicwoodworking tools and the intensificationof human production: axes, adzes and chiselsfrom the Southern Levant; Chapter 4 Eclogite or jadeitite: The two colours involved inthe transfer of alpine axeheads in western Europe; Chapter 5 Power tools: Symbolic considerations ofstone axe production and exchange in19th century south-eastern Australia. Chapter 6 Social and economic organisation of stone axeproduction and distribution in the westernMediterranean. Chapter 7 The felsite quarries of North Roe, Shetland- An overview; Chapter 8 Misty mountain hop: Prehistoric stone workingin south-west Wales; Chapter 9 Production and diffusion of axesin the Seine valley; Chapter 10 A time and place for the Belmont Hoard; Chapter 11 The prehistoric axe factory at Sanganakallu-Kupgal (Bellary District), southern India; Chapter 12 The ritual use of axes. Chapter 13 Primary and secondary raw material preferencesin the production of Neolithic polished stone toolsin northwest TurkeyChapter 14 Stone-working tra…