Magic mountain yields jade axes
A nice article about the three-year project, JADE, which has investigated the production, distribution, use and meaning of Neolithic jade axeheads.
timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/court_and_social/article6497835.ece
There's some more here, Fitz
britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba96/feat2.shtml
I do like this idea of some far off magic green mountain where the axes come from. An ordinary axe would have enough status, but one as lovely and unusual as a jade one would surely have plenty more, and a mysteriousness at that. (Faintly reminds me of how modern-day ufo believers like to find materials the aliens have left behind that 'can't possibly' have come from earth.)
Absoluteley amazing.
Thanks for posting these