Papers by François Alexandre Mariethoz
Several large axehead-chisels of nephrite have been identified in a hoard of axeheads and in one ... more Several large axehead-chisels of nephrite have been identified in a hoard of axeheads and in one of the Carnacean tu-muli in the Morbihan. No plausible source had been proposed for these objects, which are exceptional in Europe, there being only seven further examples known, from Switzerland, France, Germany and Great Britain. We propose to test the hypothesis that the source of the stone is in the Valais, exploring a nephrite outcrop - one of several possible outcrops in this region - at Les Haudères (Swiss Valais, Switzerland), located at 1 950 metres above sea level. This hypothesis is based on the fact that a considerable amount of evidence exists for the sawing of nephrite in the upper Rhône valley around the town of Sion, where the number of large, part-ly-sawn plaques of nephrite has increased in recent years.
But an hypothesis such as this is associated with several problems. The dating of the Neolithic sites in the Valais that have produced plaques or other traces of sawing are relati-vely late, with nothing anterior to 4300-4200 BC, whereas the oldest of the axehead-chisels found in the Carnac area could date as far back as the mid-5th millennium. Moreover, other sources of nephrite that were exploited during the Neolithic are known to exist, in the Ariège (Pyrénées) and also probably in the Grisons (Swiss Alps). The application of spectroradiometric analysis allows us to clarify the situa-tion, while the question of chronology can be addressed through a systematic study of the archaeological context of finds made outside of the Alpine region : one example is the nephrite axehead from la Baume de Gonvillars (Haute-Saône), attributed to the Rössen Culture around 4500 BC.
Currently the most plausible hypothesis - albeit one that is not yet demonstrated with sufficient rigour from the point of view of petrography - is that nephrite artefacts were made in the Valais, and then fed into the circulation of the large axeheads of Alpine stone made around Mont Viso.
Books by François Alexandre Mariethoz
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Papers by François Alexandre Mariethoz
But an hypothesis such as this is associated with several problems. The dating of the Neolithic sites in the Valais that have produced plaques or other traces of sawing are relati-vely late, with nothing anterior to 4300-4200 BC, whereas the oldest of the axehead-chisels found in the Carnac area could date as far back as the mid-5th millennium. Moreover, other sources of nephrite that were exploited during the Neolithic are known to exist, in the Ariège (Pyrénées) and also probably in the Grisons (Swiss Alps). The application of spectroradiometric analysis allows us to clarify the situa-tion, while the question of chronology can be addressed through a systematic study of the archaeological context of finds made outside of the Alpine region : one example is the nephrite axehead from la Baume de Gonvillars (Haute-Saône), attributed to the Rössen Culture around 4500 BC.
Currently the most plausible hypothesis - albeit one that is not yet demonstrated with sufficient rigour from the point of view of petrography - is that nephrite artefacts were made in the Valais, and then fed into the circulation of the large axeheads of Alpine stone made around Mont Viso.
Books by François Alexandre Mariethoz
But an hypothesis such as this is associated with several problems. The dating of the Neolithic sites in the Valais that have produced plaques or other traces of sawing are relati-vely late, with nothing anterior to 4300-4200 BC, whereas the oldest of the axehead-chisels found in the Carnac area could date as far back as the mid-5th millennium. Moreover, other sources of nephrite that were exploited during the Neolithic are known to exist, in the Ariège (Pyrénées) and also probably in the Grisons (Swiss Alps). The application of spectroradiometric analysis allows us to clarify the situa-tion, while the question of chronology can be addressed through a systematic study of the archaeological context of finds made outside of the Alpine region : one example is the nephrite axehead from la Baume de Gonvillars (Haute-Saône), attributed to the Rössen Culture around 4500 BC.
Currently the most plausible hypothesis - albeit one that is not yet demonstrated with sufficient rigour from the point of view of petrography - is that nephrite artefacts were made in the Valais, and then fed into the circulation of the large axeheads of Alpine stone made around Mont Viso.