The politics of supply: the Neolithic axe industry in Alpine Europe.

The politics of supply: the Neolithic axe industry in Alpine Europe. Introduction The circulation of certain high status artefacts as a reflection oforganised production and supply is an important aspect of the Neolithicperiod Neolithic periodor New Stone Age.The term neolithic is used, especially in archaeology and anthropology, to designate a stage of cultural evolution or technological development characterized by the use of stone tools, the existence of (Binder & Perles 1990). A good example of such an artefact See artifact. isoffered by the polished stone blades serving as axe heads or adzes whichare found throughout the European Neolithic. Such artefacts are seen ashaving a high economic, social and symbolic value, as attested by theiroccurrence in contexts of discard as well as in ritual deposits (gravesor hoards). Most studies of axe blades in Western Europe Western EuropeThe countries of western Europe, especially those that are allied with the United States and Canada in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (established 1949 and usually known as NATO). emphasise thepetrographic pe��trog��ra��phy?n.The description and classification of rocks.pe��trogra��pher n. characterisation of tools as a key to their provenance prov��e��nance?n.1. Place of origin; derivation.2. Proof of authenticity or of past ownership. Used of art works and antiques. inparticular rock sources (Ricq-de Bouard 1996; Le Roux Roux, Pierre Paul ��mile 1853-1933.French bacteriologist. His work with the diphtheria bacillus led to the development of antitoxins to neutralize pathogenic toxins. 1999). However,the next agenda is to reveal the social consequences of thesedistributions (Petrequin et al. 1997, 1998, 2002; Petrequin &Petrequin 1993). To understand the connections between the sources, modeof manufacture and geographical distribution the natural arrangements of animals and plants in particular regions or districts.See under Distribution.See also: Distribution Geographic of the polished blades, onthe one hand, and the functioning of the societies which used them, onthe other, it is essential to try and integrate every available fragmentof archaeological information (Bradley & Edmonds 1993; Jeudy et al.1995; Petrequin & Jeunesse 1995). In the Western Alps, three variables characterise the systemrepresented by the axe blades: the provenance of rock extracted, themode of manufacture and the find spots of raw materials and finishedproducts. The dominant rock sources are the eclogites of the ItalianAlps, and important patterns are provided by both the location ofworkshops and the eventual destination of their products. On the basisof a study of more than 2000 polished blades (Thirault et al. 1999;Thirault 2001a, b), I offer here a summary review and a provisionalinterpretation of the supply system which seems to be emerging over theNeolithic period, particularly as it relates to the area of theRhone-Saone rivers. Distribution of axe blades made in different fabrics Alpine metamorphic rocks which outcrop in the Western Alps and theApennines constitute a substantial source of resilient rock which waswidely exploited during the Neolithic period (Compagnoni et al. 1995;Ricq-de Bouard 1996; D'Amico et al. 1995, 1998; D'Amico 2000).The metamorphic metabasites, especially edogites, jadeitites andglaucophanites, have a shock-resistant character particularly useful inan axe. Eclogites outcrop in the Alps massif mas��sif?n.1. A large mountain mass or compact group of connected mountains forming an independent portion of a range.2. and valleys, on the AlpinePiemontese slope, in the Swiss Valais and in the Ligurian-PiemonteseApennines (Voltri group). Glacial and alluvial al��lu��vi��al?adj.Of, relating to, or found in alluvium: alluvial soil; alluvial gold.alluvialAdjectiveof or relating to alluviumNoun transports also formedsubstantial secondary deposits in Liguria, Piemonte, in the Vald'Aosta Val d'Aosta is the name of two places: the Aosta Valley (Valle d'Aosta), a region in Italy the Val d'Aosta, the estate of George Troup (former governor of Georgia), named for the valley (Valdosta, Georgia was in turn named for the estate) and in the upper Rhone valley above Lake Leman lem��an?n. Archaic1. A sweetheart; a lover.2. A mistress.[Middle English leofman, lemman : leof, dear (from Old English (Ricq-deBouard 1996). In subsequent analyses I propose to include axe bladesmade of jadeite jadeite:see jade. jadeiteGem-quality silicate mineral in the pyroxene family that is one of the two forms of jade. Jadeite (imperial jade), sodium aluminum silicate (NaAlSi2O6 pyroxene pyroxene(pī`rŏksēn), name given to members of a group of widely distributed rock minerals called metasilicates in which magnesium, iron, and calcium, often with aluminum, sodium, lithium, manganese, or zinc occur as X in the chemical (jadeitites), with the eclogites since thereappears to be little difference between them from an archaeologicalpoint of view (Thirault et al. 1999). Petrographic and mineralogical analysis of axe blades found in andaround the Western Alps demonstrates that the area of use of eclogitesextended far beyond the outcrops (see Figure 1; the production areas(i.e. extraction areas) are marked in black in Figure 2, and the area ofnatural outcrops (following Deville et al. 1992) is marked by hatchingin Figure 3). Within a radius of 200kin from the alpine eclogite eclogiteAny member of metamorphic rocks whose original composition is similar to that of basalt. Eclogites consist primarily of green pyroxene (omphacite) and red garnet (pyrope), with small amounts of various other minerals such as kyanite and rutile. outcrops, this family of rocks is used in a ratio which is never lessthan 50 per cent, and often exceeds 75 per cent (Figure 1; Ricq-deBouard 1996; Compagnoni et al. 1995; Thirault et al. 1999; D'Amico2000). In the extraction areas, the ratio sometimes reaches 100 percent. [FIGURES 1-3 OMITTED] Other kinds of rock exploited in the axe industry havedistributions which are peripheral to that of the eclogites (Figures 1and 2). In Western Provence, tool production from pebbles in metabasitesbelonging to the blue-schist facies facies/fa��ci��es/ (fa��she-ez) pl. fa��cies ? [L.]1. the face.2. surface; the outer aspect of a body part or organ.3. expression (1). (glaucophanite) has been noted byRicq-de Bouard (1996). In Haute-Savoie, ultrabasites (serpentinites andchloritites) and metabasite rocks of a non-alpine facies (epi- andmesozonal facies) are used, with a ratio that can exceed 50 per cent onLake Leman's southern shores, always in areas where outcrops arelocated (Thirault et al. 1999). In Valais, a rock (unidentified to date)which we name 'valesian rock' is frequent in central Valaissites (more than 50 per cent), and is also present in the upper andlower Valais sites. This rock probably originates in the metamorphicseries of the Valais, since its use is not attested outside of thisarea. In the inner Alps, especially the Balm'Chanto site in Roreto,serpentinites have a limited area of distribution (Nisbet & Biagi1987). Further afield, other zones of supply have been noted, featuringrocks deriving from the Massif Central Massif Central(mäsēf` säNträl`)[Fr.,=central highlands], great mountainous plateau, c.33,000 sq mi (85,470 sq km), S central France, covering almost a sixth of the surface of the country. : amphibolites and basalts in theArdeche basin (Ricq-de Bouard et al. 1998), fibrolites from the uppervalleys of the Loire and the Allier (Masson 1977), meta-andesites fromForez (Masson 1977), amphibolites (actinolites) from southeasternBurgundy (Ricqde Bouard & Antipolis 1996). Strongly markeddistributions in other fabrics only exist at distances of more than 200km away from the eclogite outcrop: for example, in the Vosges,especially with the pelites of Plancher-les-Mines (Petrequin &Jeunesse 1995; Jeudy et al. 1995; K in Figure 2) and in Rouergue, withthe Requista cinerites (Servelle & Vaquer 2000; J in Figure 2). Bythe same token, each of the non-alpine fabrics is only represented by afew examples in the Rh6ne basin and scarcely at all beyond it. The indications are that eclogite axe blades, at least on thewestern slopes of the Alps, marked out a zone within which few otherdistributed fabrics found a place, and the general direction of supplywas transalpine, from east to west (Figures 2 and 3). Systems of supply The overall system of supply is on a grand scale. The analysisexamined the quantities of artefacts relating to relating torelate prep → concernantrelating torelate prep → bez��glich +gen, mit Bezug auf +accdifferent stages ofmanufacture: rough-outs, flakes from knapping and tools used for shapingwhetstones A benchmark program that tests floating point operations. Results are expressed in Whetstones per second. Whetstone I tests 32-bit, and Whetstone II tests 64-bit operations. See Dhrystones and benchmark. , pecking stones, hammerstones at each of the different sites.This showed that, while some fabrics were extracted and used locally,others were carried as raw material or rough-outs, and as finishedproducts (Figure 3). Three kinds of working site can be defined for axe-blade productionfrom eclogite, together implying an extended operation with a lengthyline of supply. On the outcrops themselves, sites of extraction and ofrough-hewing remain unknown but the setting of some working sites invalleys close to outcrops suggests that materials were taken from nearat hand. In the Piemontese Alps, eclogite was worked at a number ofplaces not on an outcrop but not more than 30km away from it. These weresituated in valley mouths (Rocca di Cavour: Zamagni 1996a), in valleys(the Rumiano shelter in Vaie: Bagolini & Biagi 1977; Bertone &Fozzati 1998; La Maddalena “Maddalena” redirects here. For other uses, see Maddalena (disambiguation).La Maddalena (Gallurese: A Madalena) is a town and comune located on the island with the same name, in northern Sardinia, part of the province of Olbia-Tempio. in Chiomonte: Delcaro 2002) or on the slopes(Balm'Chanto in Roreto: Nisbet & Biagi 1987). In the FrenchAlps The French Alps are those parts of the Alps mountain range which lie in France. They are within the regions of Provence-Alpes-C?te-d'Azur and Rh?ne-Alpes.The specific subranges of the Alps that are at least partly in France include (from south to north): , documentation is still partial, but the scarce discoveries showthat rough-outs in eclogite were circulating across the mountains. InHaute-Maurienne, the site of Les Balmes in Sollieres revealed a smallassemblage of unfinished polished blades, rough-outs and pecking stones,most of which were in eclogite. Further west, there is a ring of sites located from 100 to 140kmaway from the Piemontese outcrops. Moving from south to north in Figure3, we have identified important groups in the Buech basin, a tributaryof the Durance Durance(düräNs`), river, c.180 mi (290 km) long, rising in SE France at the foot of Montgenèvre Pass on the Italian border and flowing southwest then northwest before entering the Rhône River at Avignon. , in the Diois at the confluence confluence/con��flu��ence/ (kon��floo-ins)1. a running together; a meeting of streams.con��fluent2. in embryology, the flowing of cells, a component process of gastrulation. between the Drome and theBez above Die (Beeching & Brochier 1994); these include theoutstanding sites at Les Terres Blanches in Menglon (Muller 1930) andLes Clapiers and Vallieu on the commune of Recoubeau. To the north arethe sites of Saint-Loup in Vif (Bocquet 1969; Beeching 1999) andSaint-Saturnin in Saint-Alban-Leysse (Rey 1999). Many of these sites areperched in high places, overlooking river confluences or plains. Each ofthem is documented by excavation or surface collections and theassemblages feature pecking and polishing on rough-outs in alpineeclogites. The presence of small pecking stones which reuse brokenrough-outs is a constant trait which has its equivalent on sites locatedaround the Apennines (Brignana Frascata: D'Amico & Starnini1996; Zamagni 1996b, Alba: Venturino Gambari & Zamagni 1996, Gaione:Bernabo Brea et al. 1996, Arene Candide: Starnini & Voytek 1997). The way that production sites relate to the sources is thus notlinear and does not show a regular fall-off with distance. Piemontesesites attest production close to extraction, which is not surprising.But the sites on the French side show that rough-outs may be distributedover great distances before being finished. The location of productionsites and their dominant positions in the landscape indicate a wish tocontrol routes which cross the foothills of the Alps and pass over cols,and thus presumably pre��sum��a��ble?adj.That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. control also the movement of rough-outs carriedalong them over some 150km of mountainous terrain. By contrast, the spatial organisation of the peripheral alpineproduction in other fabrics seems to be relatively local. For theglaucophanites, production sites are identified in the lower valley ofthe Durance--for example La Fare in Forcalquier, Les Lauzieres inLourmarin and near Manosque (Lazard 1993 and personal communication). OnLake Leman, half of the documented littoral littoral/lit��to��ral/ (lit��ah-r'l) pertaining to the shore of a large body of water. littoralpertaining to the shore. sites produced axe-bladerough-outs in different kinds of local metabasites and ultrabasites. The'valesian' rocks also have an area of use centred around theirsource in the Grand Pre in Saint-Leonard. These local industries thusbelong to a different kind of supply system to that of the eclogites. Modes of production These differences are accentuated by the modes of production. Anumber of working techniques may be recoguised (knapping, sawing,pecking and polishing), and although later working can erase earlier, itis reasonable to use them to define five main types of product found onsites. These are described in Figure 4. The first three (A, B, C) areshaped over a long time; the pecking and polishing techniques eithercomplement one another or are mutually exclusive Adj. 1. mutually exclusive - unable to be both true at the same timecontradictoryincompatible - not compatible; "incompatible personalities"; "incompatible colors" in order to obtaintools which can be very sophisticated. The A type corresponds with atypical picture of polished blades shaped by a long pecking process thattends to give an oval section and a triangular form. Four sub-types(A1-4) can be distinguished, which vary from no polishing (except onbevels) to an all-over polishing. The B type combines pecking on sidesand polishing on faces. Shapes obtained are quite trapezoidal orrectangular, with sections almost oval that are sometimes a littlerugged. The C type is shaped by polishing, used as a sole technique orcombined with a marginal pecking on the sides. Sections arequadrangular quadrangularhaving four angles. ; shapes have a trapezoidal or a rectangular face. The twolast types, which are unusual, are the result of an almost non-existentshaping, except on bevels. Because of this, the blank determines theobject shape. The D type includes knapped and irregular flakes shaped bya slight bevelling on sharp. The E type, anecdotal, gathers entirepebbles, not knapped and slightly bevelled bev��el?n.1. The angle or inclination of a line or surface that meets another at any angle but 90��.2. Two rules joined together as adjustable arms used to measure or draw angles of any size or to fix a surface at an angle. . [FIGURE 4 OMITTED] The correlation between these formal types and the rock they aremade from allows us to define four main processes for manufacturingalpine polished blades (Figure 5). The most complex manufacturingprocess is the one used for alpine eclogites. It begins with extraction,then a rough knapping which produces rough-outs in the form of largedetached flakes, with lower and upper faces more or less even, flat andparallel or bulkier blocks. Pebbles or pebble flakes are rare foreclogite. Blocks are then knapped by a bifacial and touching mode,whereas flakes are mostly shaped by an abrupt knapping and a littletouching. Then the object is shaped according to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. the A, B and C types,sometimes the D type. [FIGURE 5 OMITTED] The schemes of manufacture used for other fabrics are technicallyless complex especially in acquisition and first-shaping stages. Withregard to glaucophanites, epi/mesozonal metabasites and ultrabasites,blanks are always pebbles (when they can be identified). Whole ones areused entirely or in the shape of detached flakes. Then they aresometimes knapped before shaping, mainly in the case of the A type,rarely to the B and C types. Ultrabasites of Lake Leman and those usedin the inner Alps (Balm'Chanto site) can also use detached flakes,which are then shaped according to the C and D types. On Lake Leman,ultrabasites are very occasionally used in the form of whole pebbles,slightly bevelled (E type). Lastly, 'valesian' rocks areproduced according to a specific process, combining detaching withsawing which is often repeated, that produces blanks polished accordingto the C or D types. There is some correlation between the production processes and thedimension of finished objects. Only eclogites can exceed 15-16cm inlength, and they can sometimes be as long as 35cm. The length of theobjects in glaucophanites, in other metabasites, in ultrabasites and in'valesian' rocks never exceeds 15-16cm, with one exception.Moreover, most of them do not measure more than about 10cm in length. Changes in the supply system through time These observations all point up the contrast between the eclogiticand the other alpine industries. The eclogitic products are larger, morecomplex to manufacture, may be imported long distances as rough-outsbefore finishing and dominate over a large transalpine zone. The otherindustries are more local and have more modest outputs in size andquantity. This implies a general difference in the character of thesupply systems represented. However, the pottery and other materialfound in association with the axe blades at the sites mentioned abovesuggest that this supply system was not static but was in a state ofchange. The last part of the investigation presented here concerns thechanges in the system which may be observed from the early to the laterNeolithic periods, and can be divided into three stages (Figures 6-8). [FIGURES 6-8 OMITTED] Stage 1: Up to the first part of the middle Neolithic (Neolithiquemoyen I/Neolitico medio) about 5800/5600 to 4500/4200 BC (calibrated) The first evidence of transalpine relations appears during thelater stages of Cardial and Ligurian Impressa, and the movement of thegroups of Vho, Fiorano, Gaban and Alba northwards into the Apennines(Biagi & Nisbet 1987). At this time, the first manufacturing sitesof polished blades in eclogites appear on the north slopes of theApennines, and probably in the alpine Piemontese lower valleys (Rumianoin Vaie, following the dating of Bagolini & Biagi 1977). Polishedblades in eclogites appear at La Planta in Sion (Gallay et al. 1983),and long-distance relationships across the Alps are confirmed by theFiorano type pots found in the Isere valley and in Provence (Beeching1999). I would also propose to date to this same stage (on the basis ofthe site of Vale) some of the polished blades of great size in eclogiteshaped according to the A type which are present in the Piemonte, inValais and perhaps in the inner, French Alps. Entirely pecked, with anapproximate regularity, sometimes showing an edge a little wide-mouthed,these great polished blades of Zermatt type, so named because of avalesian discovery at a high altitude Conventionally, an altitude above 10,000 meters (33,000 feet). See also altitude. (Sauter 1978), indicate an aim toproduce the longest objects possible. These trends increase during the first part of the middle Neolithic(Neolithique moyen I/Neolitico Medio). In the Rhone basin, this phaseequates with the Saint-Uze style (Beeching et al. 1997), and also withthe most ancient Chassey culture period (Beeching et al. 1997) and withthe Pre-Chassey style in Provence (Courtin 1976). In Northern Italy Northern Italy comprises of two areas belonging to NUTS level 1: North-West (Nord-Ovest): Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria North-East (Nord-Est): Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/S��dtirol, Emilia-Romagna , itcan be linked to phases I and mainly II of the Vasi a Bocca QuadrataCulture (VBQ geometric-linear style, then meander style; Bagolini 1998).Human settlement in the Piemontese inner alpine valleys is nowcompletely established and the site of Rocca di Cavour attestsproduction of polished blades in eclogites coming from alpine outcrops(Zamagni 1996a). In the Rhone basin alpine eclogites coming fromPiedmontese Piedmont, Piedmontesea breed of white or pale gray, with black points, dual-purpose cattle. They have short horns and a deep forehead, like other brachyceros-type cattle. outcrops are found in Valais, in the middle valley of theRhone and in the Southern foothills of the Alps, and a parallel can bemade with the squared-mouth pots which are attested on numerousSaint-Uze sites or sites of the ancient Chassey style in the Rhone basin(Beeching 1999). The products include long blades entirely polished(Begude type), with a very convex ConvexCurved, as in the shape of the outside of a circle. Usually referring to the price/required yield relationship for option-free bonds. edge which show a more regular aspectthan the Zermatt type (Petrequin et al. 1997, 1998; Cordier &Bocquet 1998; Thirault 1999, 2001a). The Alpine networks of eclogite polished blades are by no means outof step with a general cultural evolution. In contrast, they echo themodes of neolithisation of the Po and of the Rhone basins so well thatit is necessary to pose the question of the potential role of the bladesin those processes. Contributions to this debate have already pointedout that some of the early polished blades are so long and large thatthey cannot easily serve as tools (Thirault 2001a). Such objects showclearly the know-how of makers who were able to control technicalprocesses from the selection of material up to the very last shaping;but it is doubtful if their objectives were simply technical andeconomic, particularly as local industries were already functioning, inthe Rhone valley, for example. This suggests a social dynamism usingAlpine axe blades of enhanced value expanding from Piemontese startingpoints which are under the control of the VBQ culture. This phenomenonprobably concerns a great part of Western Europe at that time (Giot1965; Petrequin et al. 1997, 1998, 2002). Stage 2. The second part of the middle Neolithic. Neolithique moyenII/Neolitico Recente, around 4500/4200 to 3600/3300 BC At this time the production and distribution of polished blades ineclogite were at their peak. The period corresponds to the recent phasesof the Chassey culture in the Rhone basin (Beeching 1995), andimmediately following in the Po basin (Bagolini & Barfield 1991) andin the Cortaillod culture The Cortaillod Culture is one of several archaeologically defined cultures belonging to the Neolithic period of Switzerland. The Cortaillod Culture in the west of the region is contemporary with the Pfyn Culture in the east and dates from between 3900-3500 BC. of the Swiss Plateau The Swiss plateau (plateau suisse in French, Schweizer Mittelland in German) constitutes one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland alongside the Jura mountains and the Alps. It covers about 30% of the Swiss surface. , of Haute-Savoie and ofValais (Marguet 1995; Baudais et al. 1989-90). Production sites continuein the Piemontese alpine valleys (La Maddalena in Chiomonte), but newsites are settled westward in the Rhone basin. The number and density ofsettlements in open-area sites in the Buech valley, Diois and to aminimal degree in Vif/Saint-Loup and Saint-Saturnin, show that a part ofthe polished blade production was in the foothills of the French Alps ata distance of more than 100 km from eclogite outcrops (Figure 3). Thissubstantial extension of the production area is accompanied bytransformations in products: the significant proportion of blanks offlake type, about 20 per cent, shows a probable restructuring ofproduction first stages which could be interpreted as anintensification. At the same time, shaping modes evolved with thegrowing importance of the C and B types (40 per cent) compared with theA type, which had been predominant previously. This means an increase ofpolishing to the detriment of pecking, that is to say the choice of aslower but less risky technique for achieving a complete object. So theproduction of polished blades in eclogite seems to be modified in orderto simplify the manufacturing process. During this phase, thedistribution of polished blades made of alpine eclogite reached itsmaximum expansion in the Rhone basin, where they constitute a tool withno serious competitor (Thirault et al. 1999). Further afield, the fewprecise studies made underline that distributions are far from beinginsignificant, as in Eastern Languedoc and Eastern Burgundy (Ricq-deBouard 1991, 1996). By contrast, in the Valais, eclogites are rare,while 'valesian' rocks are greatly in the majority (80 percent) on sites of this period, especially in Saint-Leonard/Sur le GrandPre where numerous roughouts and waste flakes are evidence ofmanufacture on site. The valesian assemblage may be due to the recentcharacter of the documented sites (Baudais et al. 1989-90). But if wekeep in mind that 'valesian' rocks are mainly worked bysawing, a relation between the Cortaillod of the Swiss Plateau, wherethis technique is usual, can be proved (Buret buret/bu��ret/ (bu-ret��) a graduated glass tube used to deliver a measured amount of liquid. burette, bureta glass tube with a capacity of the order of 25 to 100 ml and graduation intervals of 0.05 to 0. 1983; Willms 1980). Thisfact may imply a dichotomy within the Western Alps between northernareas close to the cultural focus of Cortaillod and adjacent southernareas related to the Chassey culture. Indeed, it seems to me that the key to the considerable extensionof the distribution networks of alpine eclogite is in the structuring ofcultural movements, established on each side of the Alps. The structuralmobility of the Chassey culture societies (Beeching et al. 2000) and itsdeep effect on Northern Italy cultures (Bagolini & Barfield 1991)underline the active role played by populations who settled in the Alpsand generated interaction. However, the documentation for the innerAlpine valleys is still poor. Stage 3: Late Neolithic (Neolithique final/Eneolitico &Calcolitico), from 3600/3300 to 2300/2000 BC In this period the area dominated by eclogite remains large, butthe mode of supply and of production are both changing. The transport ofrough-outs in the form of flakes is increasing and the importance of theB and C types (60 per cent of the eclogites) is enhanced, the latterfact being linked to a new polishing technique on lengthwise length��wise?adv. & adj.Of, along, or in reference to the direction of the length; longitudinally.Adj. 1. lengthwise facets.Distributions are still substantial in the documented areas of the Rhonebasin (Savoy and middle valley of the Rhone), but evidence forlong-distance (targeted) distribution is less certain (Figure 8). Thisis paralleled with the growth of peripheral productions. Glaucophanitesof the lower Durance, which were used during the middle Neolithic, areused again in the late Neolithic and are frequent in the WesternProvence (Ricq-de Bouard 1996). Also, varied amphibolites present in theArdeche basin are used only on the right bank of the Rhone. If arecession in the exchange of polished blades in Alpine eclogites appearsclearly up the Rhone valley, the maintenance of important productions inthe foothills of the Alps indicates that this kind of axe blade remainssymbolically significant for the alpine societies. This fact isillustrated by the presence of axe blades of good size, which however donot exceed 22cm in length. As in the earlier phases of the Neolithic,they are found in isolated deposits in the higher Alps (e.g. rockshelter A rock shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff. Another term is rockhouse.Rock shelters form because a rock stratum such as sandstone that is resistant to erosion and weathering has formed a cliff or bluff, but a softer stratum, more subject of Balme in Magland, Haute-Savoie). In the Rhone basin, the decrease of interest in axe blades ofAlpine eclogite may be due to the coming of competitive goods withhigher exchange value (if not necessarily a greater technicalefficiency). We think especially about the arrival of products in copper(including axe blades) as early as the end of the fourth millennium BCin Languedoc (Ambert 1991), in the Swiss Plateau (Strahm 1994) and inNorth Italian plains and Liguria (de Marinis 1992; Campana et al. 1998;diagonal hatching in Figure 8). By contrast, in the Western Alps thedevelopment of copper metallurgy is rather late, at the earliest in thesecond half of the third millennium BC, as far as we know (Saint-Veranmines: Barge 1997). Conclusion This short and schematic outline of a new model for axe-bladeproduction and distribution in the Western Alps serves to demonstrate anessential point: there is no long-term stability in the system ofsupply. We have discussed only the polished axes, but the same kind ofdemonstration can be given for haftings and for the use andrepresentation of modes of tools (Winiger 1981, 1991; Voruz 1984, 1986,1997; Suter 1993; Baudais & Delattre 1997; Thirault 2001a). The quantity and quality of axe blades produced from eclogites inspecific areas had no proportional link to their distance from thesource of the raw material, as would be the case with a'down-the-line' model. This suggests that the supply wastargeted, and politically constructed. The initial expansion of thisindustry seems to have been part of the Neolithic acculturation acculturation,culture changes resulting from contact among various societies over time. Contact may have distinct results, such as the borrowing of certain traits by one culture from another, or the relative fusion of separate cultures. ofNorthern Italy, and the material had a high symbolic status. By themiddle Neolithic it was dominating a great area of the Alps (apart fromValais) and the Rhone Valley. In the later Neolithic period, althoughthe Rhone Valley was losing its interest in the eclogite axe blades, thezone of influence may have been exercised in new status objects, forexample in copper. If these patterns represent not only supply systemsbut changing political relationships between mountain communities, thenthis kind of analysis may have still more to offer. References AMBERT, P. 1991. L'emergence de la metallurgie chalcolithiquedans le Midi de la France La France was a single that was released by Dutch popgroup BZN in 1986. It is about a man and woman who met and fell in love while in France. , Le Chalcolithique en Languedoc. Ses relationsextra-regionales, colloque international Hommage au Dr. Jean Arnal,Saint-Mathieu-de-Treviers, 20-22 sept. 1990. Archeologie en Languedec,no special 1990-91: 51-8. BAGOLINI, B. 1998. L'Italie septentrionale. Vue generale, inJ. Guilaine (ed.). Atlas du Neolithique europeen Vol. 2: l'Europeoccidentale. Liege liegeIn European feudal society, an unconditional bond between a man and his overlord. Thus, if a tenant held estates from various overlords, his obligations to his liege lord, to whom he had paid “liege homage,” were greater than his obligations to the other . Etudes et Recherches Archeologiques del'Universite de Liege 46: 233-341. BAGOLINI, B. & L.H. BARFIELD. 1991. The European context ofNorthern Italy during the Third Millennium, in J. Lichardus (ed.). DieKupferzeit als historische Epoche. Symposium Saarbrucken und Otzenhausen6-13/11/1988: 287-97. Bonn: Rudolf Habelt GMBH. BAGOLINI, B. & P. BIAGI. 1977. La cultura della ceramicaimpressa nel Neolitico inferiore della regione padana. Bullettino diPaletnologia italiana XXIII (1972-74): 81, 81-112. BARGE, H. 1997. L'installation metallurgique prehistorique dela cabane des Clausis a Saint-Veran (Hautes-Alpes), in P. Ambert (ed.).Actes du colloque "Mines et metallurgies de la Prehistoire auMoyen-Age en Languedoc-Roussillon et regions peripheriques".Cabrieres, 16-19 mai 1997 (Archeologie en Languedoc, 21): 99-110. BAUDAIS, D., C. BRUNIER, P. CURDY curd?n.1. The part of milk that coagulates when the milk sours or is treated with enzymes. Curd is used to make cheese.2. A coagulated liquid that resembles milk curd.intr. & tr.v. , M. DAVID-ELBIALI, S. FAURE, A.GALLAY, O. MAY, P. MOINAT, M. MOTTET, J.-L. VORUZ & A. WINIGER.1989-90. Le Neolithique de la region de Sion (Valais). Un bilan.Bulletin du Centre Genevois d'Anthropologie 2: 5-56. BAUDAIS, D. & N. DELATTRE. 1997. Les objets en bois, in P.Petrequin (ed.). Les sites littoraux neolithiques de Clairvaux-les-Lacset de Chalain (Jura). III: Chalain station 3 3200-2900 avant J.-C.:529-44. Paris: Maison des Sciences de l'Homme. BEECHING, A. 1995. Nouveau regard sur le Neolithique ancien etmoyen du bassin rhodanien, in J.-L. Voruz (ed.). Chronologiesneolithiques. De 6000 a 2000 avant notre ere dam le Bassin rhodanien.Acres du colloque d'Amberieu en-Bugey, 19-20 sept. 1992, XIeRencontres Neolithiques de Rhone-Alpes. Amberieu-en-Bugey: de la SocietePrehistorique Rhodanienne. Documents du Departement d'Anthropologieet d'Ecologie de l'Universite de Geneve 20:93-111. --1999. Les premieres etapes de circulation et de peuplement dansles Alpes francaises au Neolithique. Apport An apport is the transference of an article from an unknown source, to you, or another place by unknown means.[1] The item can be anything, from coins and jewellery from ancient times, to modern objects such as watches and keys. de la ceramique, in A.Beeching (ed.). Circulations et identites culturelles alpines a latin dela Prehistoire. Materiaux pour une etude e��tude?n. Music1. A piece composed for the development of a specific point of technique.2. A composition featuring a point of technique but performed because of its artistic merit. (programme collectif CIRCALP1997/1998). Valence Valence, city, FranceValence(väläNs`), city (1990 pop. 65,026), capital of Drôme dept., SE France, in Dauphiné, on the Rhône River. : Centre d'Archeologie Prehistorique. Travaux duCentre d'Archeologie Prehistorique de Valence 2: 427-80. BEECHING, A. & J.L. BROCHIER (ed.). 1994. Archeologie spatialeen Vallee du Rhone. Espaces parcourus/ Territoires exploites. Le groupeneolithique et son territoire. Rapport d'A.T.P. Grands projets enArcheologie metropolitaine: 74. Valence: Centre d'ArcheologiePrehistorique. BEECHING, A., J.-F. BERGER, J.L. BROCHIER, F. FERBER, D. HELMER& H. SIDI MAAMAR. 2000. Chasseens: agriculteurs ou eleveurs,sedentaires ou nomades? Quels types de milieux, d'economies et desocietes? in M. Leduc, N. Valdeyron & J. Vaquer (ed.). Societes etespaces. Actes des Rencontres meridionales de Prehistoire recente,troisieme session, Toulouse, 6-7 nov. 1998: 59-79. Toulouse: Centred'Anthropologie. Archives d'Ecologie prehistorique. BEECHING, A., P.-Y. NICOD, F. THIERCELIN & J.-L. VOROZ. 1997.Le Saint-Uze, un style ceramique non-chasseen du cinquieme millenairedans le bassin rhodanien, in C. Constantin, D. Mordant mordant(môr`dənt)[Fr.,=biting], substance used in dyeing to fix certain dyes (mordant dyes) in cloth. Either the mordant (if it is colloidal) or a colloid produced by the mordant adheres to the fiber, attracting and fixing the colloidal & D. Simonin(ed.). La Culture de Cerny. Nouvelle economie, nouvelle societe auNeolithique, Actes du Colloque International de Nemours, 9-11 mai 1994.Nemours: A.P.R.A.I.F. Memoires du Musee de Prehistoired'Ile-de-France 6: 575-92. BERNABO BREA, M., C. D'AMICO, M. GHEDINI, A. GHIRETTI & S.OCCHI. 1996. Giaone, loc. Case Catena ca��te��na?n. pl. ca��te��nae or ca��te��nasA closely linked series, especially of excerpted writings or commentaries.[Latin cat , in M. Venturino Gambari (ed.). Levie della pietra verde. L'industria litica levigata nellapreistoria dell'Italia settentrionale. Exhibition, Torino, Alba,1996: 122-36. Torino: Omega. BERTONE, A. & L. FOZZATI. 1998. La Preistoria del bacino dellaDora Riparia oggi. Segusium 36: 11-82. BIAGI, P. & R. NISBET. 1987. The earliest farming communitiesin northern Italy, in J. Guilaine, J. Courtin, J.-L. Roudil & J.-L.Vernet (ed.). Premieres communautes paysannes en Mediterraneeoccidentale. Actes du colloque international du C.N.R.S., Montpellier,26-29 avril 1983: 447-543. Paris: C.N.R.S. BINDER, D. & C. PERILS. 1990. Strategies de gestion desoutillages lithiques au Neolithique. Paleo 2: 257-83. BOCQUET, A. 1969. L'Isere Pre-et Protohistorique. GalliaPrehistoire 12:121-400. BRADLEY, R. & M. EDMONDS. 1993. Interpreting the axe trade.Production and exchange in Neolithic Britain. New studies inArchaeology: 236. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press (known colloquially as CUP) is a publisher given a Royal Charter by Henry VIII in 1534, and one of the two privileged presses (the other being Oxford University Press). . BURET, C. 1983. L'industrie de la pierre polie au Neolithiquemoyen et recent a Auvernier, canton de Neuchatel (Suisse). These dedoctorat dactylographiee (unpublished), Universite de Paris X, realiseesous la dir. de J. Tixier, 2 vols: 196. CAMPANA, N., R. MAGGI & M. PEARCE. 1998. Miniere preistorichedi rame a Libiola e Monte Loreto, in Del Lucchese & R. Maggi (ed.).Dal diaspro al bronzo. L'Eta del Rame e del Bronzo in Liguria: 26secoli di storia fra 3600 e 1000 anni avanti Cristo. La Spezia La Spe��zia?A city of northwest Italy east-southeast of Genoa on the Gulf of La Spezia, an arm of the Ligurian Sea. The city is a major seaport and year-round resort. Population: 90,800.Noun 1. : Luna.Quaderni della Soprintendenza Archeologica della Liguria 5: 138-41. COMPAGNONI, R., M. RICQ-DE BOUARD, R. GIUSTETTO & F. COLOMBO.1995. Eclogite and Na-pyroxenite stone axes of southwestern Europe: apreliminary petrologic pe��trol��o��gy?n.The branch of geology that deals with the origin, composition, structure, and alteration of rocks.pet survey, in B. Lombardo (ed.). Studies onmetamorphic rocks and minerals of the Western Alps, a Volume in memoryof Ugo Pognante. Bollettino, suppl, au vol. 13-2: 329-59. Museoregionale di Scienze naturali di Torino. CORDIER, G. & A. BOCQUET. 1998. Le depot de la Begude-de-Mazenc(Drome) et les depots de haches neolithiques en France. Notecomplementaire. Bulletin de la Societe prehistorique francaise 95:221-38. COURTIN, J. 1976. La Baume Fontbregoua (Salernes, Var), in J.Courtin (ed.). Livret-guide de l'excursion B2. Sites neolithiqueset protohistoriques de la region de Nice. IXeme Congres U.I.S.P.P.,13-18 sept. 1976, Nice 21-9. D'AMICO, C. 2000. La pietra La Pietra: Hawaii School for Girls, also referred to as La Pietra or Hawaii School for Girls, is a private school for girls in grades 6–12 located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded in 1964 by Lorraine Cooke, it moved to the current La Pietra campus in 1969. levigata neolitica in Italiasettentrionale e in Europa. Litologia, produzione e circolazione, in A.Pessina & G. Muscio (ed.). La neolitizzazione tra oriente eoccidente. Atti del Convegno di Studi, Udine, 23-24 aprile 1999. Udine,Edizioni del Museo Friulano di Storia Naturale: 67-80. D'AMICO, C., R. CAMPANA, G. FELICE & M. GHEDINI. 1995.Eclogites and jades as prehistoric implements in Europe. A case ofpetrology petrology,branch of geology specifically concerned with the origin, composition, structure, and properties of rocks, primarily igneous and metamorphic, and secondarily sedimentary. applied to cultural heritage. European Journal of Mineralogy7:29-41. D'AMICO, C., G. FELICE & M. GHEDINI. 1998. Neolithic tobronze polished stone in northern Italy, in R. Grifoni Cremonesi, C.Tozzi, A. Vigliardi & C. Peretto (ed.). Acres du XIIIeme Congres del'Union internationale des sciences prehistoriques etprotohistoriques, Forli, 8-14 sept. 1996, volume 3: sections 7, 8 et 9:389-99. Forli: A.B.A.C.O. D'AMICO, C. & E. STARNINI. 1996. Brignano Frascata (scaviTine 1984), in M. Venturino Gambari (ed.). Le vie della pietra verde.L'industria litica levigata nella preistoria dell'Italiasettentrionale. Exhibition, Torino, Alba, 1996: 74-9. Torino: Omega. DELCARO, D. 2002. L'industria litica levigata, in A. Bertone& L. Fozzati (ed.). La Maddalena di Chiomonte. 6000 anni di storiasulle Alpi occidentali: 88-99. DE MARINIS, R.C. 1992. La piu antica metallurgia nell'Italiasettentrionale, in F. Hopfer, W. Platzer & Spindler (ed.). Der Mannim Eis, Band: Bericht uber das Internationale Symposium 1992 inInnsbruck. Veroffentlichungen der Universitat Innsbruck 187: 389-409. DEVILLE, E., S. FUDRAL, Y. LAGABRIELLE, M. MARTHALER & M.SARTORI. 1992. From oceanic closure to continental collision: asynthesis of the "schistes lustres" metamorphic complex of theWestern Alps. Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (or GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by James Hall, James D. Bulletin 104: 127-39. GALLAY, A. 1977. Le Neolithique moyen du Jura et des plaines Des Plaines, city, United StatesDes Plaines(dĕs plānz), city (1990 pop. 53,223), Cook co., NE Ill., a suburb of Chicago on the Des Plaines River; inc. 1925. Among its manufactures are chemicals and electronic equipment. de laSaone. Contribution a l'etude des relationsChassey-Cortaillod-Michelsberg. Frauenfeld: Verlag Huber. Antiqua 6:344. GALLAY, A., R. CARAZETTI & C. BRUNIER. 1983. Le Neolithiqueancien de Sion-Planta (Valais, Suisse). Vallesia XXXVIII: 1-34. GIOT, P.R. 1965. Le probleme europeen des haches d'apparat enjadeitite et roches voisines. Atti del VI Congresso internazionale dellescienze preitoriche e protostoriche, vol. II, U.I.S.P.P., Roma 1962:281-6. Firenze: Sansoni Editore. JEUDY F., C. JEUNESSE, J.-L. MONNIER, J. PELEGRIN, A.-M. PETREQUIN,P. PETREQUIN & I. PRAUD. 1995. Les carrieres neolithiques dePlancher-les-Mines (Haute-Saone). Exemples d'une approche integree,in J. Pelegrin & A. Richard (ed.). Les mines de silex silex (sī´leks) (silicon dioxide),n a substance used in dental surface polishing due to its abrasive characteristics. au Neolithiqueen Europe, avancees recentes. Actes de la Table-Ronde de Vesoul, 18-19oct. 1991: 241-80. Paris: C.T.H.S. LAZARD, N. 1993. L'outillage en pierre polie clans leNeolithique provencal. Memoire de D.E.A. (unpublished), Universite deProvence Aix-Marseille I, Laboratoire d'Anthropologie et dePrehistoire des Pays de la Mediterranee occidentale, sous la dir. de R.Chenorkian: 106. LE ROUX, C.-T. 1999. L'outillage de pierrepolie enmetadolerite du type A. Les ateliers de Plussulien (Cotes-d'Armor):production et diffusion au Neolithique clans la France de l'ouestet au-dela. Rennes: Universite de Rennes I. Travaux du laboratoireAnthropologie, Prehistoire et Quaternaire Armoricains 43: 244. MARGUET, A. 1995. Le Neolithique des lacs alpins francais. Bilandocumentaire, in J.-L. Voruz (ed.). Chronologies neolithiques. De 6000 a2000 avant notre ere clans le Bassin rhodanien. Actes du colloqued'Amberieu en-Bugey, 19-20 sept. 1992, XIemes RencontresNeolithiques de Rhone-Alpes. Amberieuen-Bugey: Societe PrehistoriqueRhodanienne. Documents du Departement d'Anthropologie etd'Ecologie de l'Universite de Geneve 20: 167-96. MASSON, A. 1977. Etude petrographique des haches polies du Forez.Memoire de maitrise dactylographie (unpublished), Universite Lyon II:61. MULLER, H. 1930. Station prehistorique et protohistorique deMenglon (Drome). Bulletin de la Societe Dauphinoise d'Ethnologie etd'Anthropologie XXVII: 63-91. NISBET, R. & P. BIAGI (ed.). 1987. Balm'Chanto: un riparosottoroccia dell'Eta del Rame nelle Alpi cozie. Como: Museo CivicoArcheologico Giovio. Edizioni New Press. Archeologia dell'ItaliaSettentrionale 4: 154. PETREQUIN, P., S. CASSEN, C. CROUTSCH & M. ERRERA. 2002. Lavalorisation The valorization of capital is a concept created by Karl Marx in his critique of political economy. The German original term is "Verwertung" (specifically Kapitalverwertung sociale des longues haches dans l'Europe neolithique,in J. Guilaine (ed.). Materiaux, productions, circulations duNeolithique a l'Age du Bronze. Seminaire du College de France:67-98. Paris: Errance. PETREQUIN, P., S. CASSEN, C. CROUTSCH & O. WELLER. 1997. Hachesalpines et haches carnaceennes dans l'Europe du V millenaire. NotaePraehistoricae 17: 135-50. PETREQUIN, P., C. CROUTSCH & S. CASSEN. 1998. A propos du depotde La Begude: haches alpines et haches carnaceennes pendant le Vmillenaire. Bulletin de la Societe prehistorique francaise 95 (2):239-54. PETREQUIN, P. & C. JEUNESSE (ed.). 1995. La hache de pierre.Carrieres vosgiennes et echanges de lames polies pendant le Neolithique(5400-2100 avant J.-C.): 131. Paris: Errance. PETREQUIN, A.-M. & P. PETREQUIN. 1993. Ecologie d'unoutil: la hache de pierre en Irian Jaya Irian Jaya,province, Indonesia: see Papua. (Indonesie). Paris: C.N.R.S.Monographies du C.R.A. 12: 439. REY, P.-J. 1999. L'occupation de la Savoie au Neolithique.Etat des connaissances. Memoire de maitrise (unpublished), Universite deChambery, vol. 1: 149; vol. 2: 259; vol. 3: 998, 415 fig. RICQ-DE BOUARD, M. 1991. La circulation des outils polis polisIn ancient Greece, an independent city and its surrounding region under a unified government. A polis might originate from the natural divisions of mountains and sea and from local tribal and cult divisions. eneclogite alpine au IVeme millenaire: premieres observations relatives auSud-Est de la France et a quelques sites plus septentrionaux, in A.Beeching, D. Binder, J.-C. Blanchet, C. Constantin, J. Dubouloz, R.Martinez, D. Mordant, J.-P. Thevenot & J. Vaquer (ed.). Identite duChasseen. Actes du Colloque International de Nemours, 17-19 mai 1989.Nemours: A.P.R.A.I.E Memoires du Musee de Prehistoired'Ile-de-France 4: 273-80. RICQ-DE BOUARD, M. 1996. Petrographie et societes neolithiques enFrance mediterraneenne. L'outillage en pierre polie. Paris:C.N.R.S. Monographie du CR.A. 16: 272. RICQ-DE BOUARD, M. & S. ANTIPOLIS. 1996. L'outillage enpierre polie de Saone-et-Loire. Productions locales et importations, 30ans d'archeologie en Saone-et-Loire. Catalogue d'exposition:117-19. RICQ-DE BOUARD, M., W.-J. DEISS DEISS Draft Environmental Impact Statement Summary & F. PRUD'HOMME. 1998. Leshaches polies du sud de l'Ardeche: productions locales etimportations. Ardeche Archeologie 15: 47-54. SAUTER, M.-R. 1978. Une hache bretonne neolithique sur le chemin duTheodule (Zermatt, Valais). Melanges offerts a Andre Donnet pour son65eme anniversaire, Vallesia XXXIII: 1-16. SERVELLE, C. & J. VAQUER. 2000. Les haches polies en cineritedu Rouergue, des producteurs aux consommateurs, in M. Leduc, N.Valdeyron & J. Vaquer (ed.). Societes et espaces. Actes desRencontres meridionales de Prehistoire recente, troisieme session,Toulouse, 6-7 nov. 1998. Toulouse: Centre d'Anthropologie. Archivesd'Ecologie prehistorique: 81-100. STARNINI, E. & B. VOYTEK. 1997. New lights on old stones: theground stone assemblage from the Bernabo Brea excavation at AreneCandide, in R. Maggi (ed.). Arene Candide: a functional andenvironmental assessment of the Holocene sequence (excavationsBernabo" Brea--Cardini 1940-50). Roma. Memorie dell'Istitutoitaliano di paleontologia umana 5: 427-511. STRAHM, C. 1994. Die Anfange der Metallurgie in Mitteleuropa.Helvetia Archaeologica 97: 2-39. SUTER, P.-J. 1993. Holme HOLME Handshape, Orientation, Location, Movement, and Expression (sign language), Hirschgeweihfassungen undSteinbeilklingen. Gedanken zur Entwicklung des neolithischen Beiles imschweizerischen Mitelland. Annuaire de la Societe Suisse de Prehistoireet d'Archeologie 76: 27-44. THIRAULT, E. 1999. La Begude-de-Mazenc quartier Gros-Jean (Drome):un depot de longues lames de hache polies, in A. Beeching (ed.).Circulations et identites culturelles alpines a latin de la Prehistoire.Materiaux pour une etude (programme collectif CIRCALP 1997/1998).Valence: Centre d'Archeologie Prehistorique. Travaux du Centred'Archeologie Prehistorique de Valence 2: 297-313. THIRAULT, E. 2001a. Production, diffusion et usage des hachesneolithiques dam les Alpes occidentales et le bassin du Rhone. Thesenouveau regime, sous la direction d'O. Aurenche, Universite Lyon II(unpublished). Valence: Centre d'Archeologie Prehistorique. THIRAULT, E. 2001b. Production, diffusion et usage des hachesneolithiques dans les Alpes occidentales et le bassin du Rhone. Resumede these. Bulletin de la Societe Prehistorique francaise 98 (4): 740-42. THIRAULT, E., D. SANTALLIER & R. VERA VERA Virtual Entity of Relevant AcronymsVERA Virtual Electronic Resource AccessVERA Vienna Environmental Research AcceleratorVERA Verzeichnis Edv-Relevanter Akronyme (German: Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms; website). 1999. Les materiauxlithiques polis du Neolithique rhone-alpin: de la caracterisation al'interpretation archeologiquem, in A. Beeching (ed.). Circulationset identitis culturelles alpines a la fin de la Prehistoire. Materiauxpour une etude (programme collectif CIRCALP 1997/1998). Valence: Centred'Archeologie Prehistorique. Travaux du Centre d'ArcheologiePrehistorique de Valence 2: 259-96. VENTURINO GAMBARI, M. & B. ZAMAGNI. 1996. Alba, in M. VenturinoGambari (ed.). Le vie della pietra verde. L'industria liticalevigata nella preistoria dell'Italia settentrionale. Exhibition,Torino, Alba, 1996: 92-8. Turin: Omega. VORUZ, J.-L. 1984. Outillages osseux et dynamisme industriel dam leNeolithique jurassien. Lausanne. Cahiers d'archeologie romande 29:533. --1986. Les industries sur matieres dures animales du Neolithiquemoyen bourguignon, in P. Petrequin & A. Gallay (ed.). Le NeolithiqueMoyen Bourguignon (N.M.B.). Actes du colloque de Beffia (Jura, France),4-5 juin 1983. Geneve: Imprimerie du "Journal de Geneve"Numero special des Archives suisses d'anthropologie generale48-2-annee 1984: 115-25. --1997. L'outillage en os et en bois de cerf de Chalain 3, inP. Perequin (ed.). Les sites littoraux neolithiques deClairvaux-les-Lacs et de Chalain (Jura). III: Chalain station 33200-2900 avant J.-C.: 467-510. Paris: de la Maison des Sciences del'Homme. WILLMS, C. 1980. Die neolithischen Ufersiedlungen von Twann, Band9: Die Felgesteinartefakte des Cortaillod-Schichten: 143. Bern:Staatlicher Lehrmittelverlag. WINIGER, J. 1981. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Beils. HelvetiaArchaeologica 45-48: 161-188. --1991. Zur Formenlehre der Steinbeilklingen. Das Inventar derBeile von Vinelz "Hafen". Annuaire de la Societe Suisse dePrehistoire et d'Archeologie 74: 79-106. ZAMAGNI, B. 1996a. Rocca di Cavour, in M. Venturino Gambari (ed.).Le vie della pietra verde. L'industria litica levigata nellapreistoria dell'Italia settentrionale. Exhibition, Torino, Alba,1996: 139-41. Torino: Omega. --1996b. Brignano Frascata, in M. Venturino Gambari (ed.). Le viedella pietra verde. L'industria litica levigata nella preistoriadell'Italia settentrionale. Exhibition, Torino, Alba, 1996: 79-84.Torino: Omega. Received: 12 May 2003; Accepted: 2 October 2003; Revised: 9 January2004 Eric Thirault, UMR UMR Unite Mixte de Recherche (French: Mixed Unit of Research )UMR University of Missouri - RollaUMR Upper Mississippi RiverUMR Uniform Methods and Rules (US Department of Agriculture)UMR Unit Manning Report 5594--CNRS, Centre d'ArcheologiePrehistorique, 4, place des Ormeaux, F--26000 Valence, France (Email:ericthirault@hotmail.com)