It is often said that the time to go looking for stone-age implements is just after a good downpour. This one, above, I found after heavy rain, and it glistened in the sunlight. The first Cro Magnon lived just to the north of here, and it's a sobering thought to know that the last person to have held this tool was amongst his extended entourage.
Stone implements such as these are not uncommon, but to find one and hold it in your hand, just as someone did about 6,000 years ago, is a magical and rare privilege.
That's a great find, Cro. Here in Blighty, we are being subjected to a series on R4 called, 'The history of Britain in 100 objects', and it is running concurrently with an exhibition in the British Museum, from where the 100 objects are selected.
ReplyDeleteThe music is more suited to TV, as it conjures up images of the sun setting behind the pyramids, etc. etc. but generally, it is alright.
They have - so far - featured 2 stone axes. The first is a flint jobbie, but the 2nd is a jade one, found in Canterbury. It turns out that jade also exists in the Italian Alps, from where the chip off the old block came to make it - the block is still there. Great importance has been made with regard to the symbolic value of these beautiful but impractical objects, and the impracticality has been pointed out by Sir James Dyson, who is a proven expert in impracticality.
Nobody has suggested that they may have had an intrinsic value as pure currency - yet. What do you reckon? I have written to the BBC to suggest this, but I doubt if I will rock the boat. I used to have a good, ancient, jade axe - I wish I still did, as they're worth a fortune!
P.S. Have you been inside the caves of Lascaux?
ReplyDeleteI'm not really aware of JADE axes. Sounds impractical. How hard does jade become? The only jade I've owned was 'soapstone'.
ReplyDeleteNo, I've not been to Lascaux (2). I'm a hopeless tourist.
People become quite jealous of my axe. It's a lovely thing. It's made from what they call here 'Dordogne Marble'.
I'm pleased to say that I have actually touched this object.
ReplyDeleteTrue jade is bloody hard stuff - harder than flint, for instance. I didn't realise that it was found in Europe.
ReplyDeleteMoi non plus!
ReplyDelete