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Jade axes from Scotland: a comment on the distribution and supplementary notes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2014

Jane Murray
Jane Murray*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ
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Abstract

Spatial separation between the English and Scottish distributions of jade axes gives validity to the latter as a discrete entity, the characteristics of which are examined. The majority of Scottish finds are large, thin, highly polished axeheads, unmatched in continental Europe, for which no datable contexts can be found. Distribution of these ceremonial axes is dispersed widely across Scotland south-east of the Great Glen, with little display of cultural exclusivity. Details of circumstances of recovery are reviewed, confirming the prevalence of deliberate deposition in both funerary and watery contexts.

Notes are appended additional to the Catalogue and Supplements of Jade Axes published by Campbell Smith (1963; 1965; 1972) and by Jones et al. (1977).

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 60 , Issue 1 , 1994 , pp. 97 - 104
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 1994

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References

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