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The stone axe from Völs am Schlern
In order to perform their day-to-day work, the farmers and livestock breeders of the European Neolithic needed new kinds of stone implements with which to till their fields and clear forests. These included stone axes. The point-butted stone axe found at Völs am Schlern is made of greenstone. The sides form an acute angle from the neck to a broad, arched blade. The surface of the axe is carefully polished, whereas the shaft attachment in the neck region is slightly roughened. The axe is 13.5 cm long and is from the middle Neolithic period.
- Alternative stone types
- Grinding and polishing
- Farming villages on sunny hillsides
- Tools, status symbols, precious objects
Alternative stone types
During the European Neolithic period axes and socketed axes – which in contrast to normal stone axes contain a hole for the wooden shaft – were usually made of coarse-grain stone. The types of stone most commonly used for this purpose in the Alpine valleys were granite and greenstones, including hornblend slate, serpentine, and amphibolite. Greenstones are widely distributed throughout the Alps. A novel feature was the grinding of tool surfaces to make them smooth.
Grinding and polishing
Polished stone implements first appeared in Europe during the Neolithic period. The stone blank used to manufacture them first had to be shaped roughly by chipping at it. The tool was then worked on a sandstone slab. The edge and surface of the axe were polished smooth by rubbing. The subsequent owner could also resharpen the edge of his axe on a sandstone slab. Besides coarse-grain stones, flint was also used for fabricating tools. Flint axes were worked in the same manner as the axes made of coarse-grain stone.
Farming villages on sunny hillsides
During the European Neolithic period farming became a firmly established way of life. Domestic animals included sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, and dogs. Hay farming had not yet developed. In the Alps straw from cereal crops and foliage had to be brought to the livestock during winter. In the summer, sheep and goats were driven onto high pasturelands.
In the fields the families grew crop plants. Traces of barley, emmer wheat, einkorn, peas, and lentils have been found (photo sequence). In most cases farming practices can only be inferred indirectly. The fields have long since disappeared. However, some agricultural tools have survived. Flint sickle blades (photo of cereal sickle) were inset in curved pieces of wood to form a reaping sickle.
Tools, status symbols, precious objects
The stone implements of the European Neolithic period, which were much larger and heavier than the microliths used in the Mesolithic, were developed for agricultural use. Tools with a ground and polished surface were a technological innovation, which differed fundamentally from the toolmaking techniques used by Mesolithic hunters. Archaeologists suspect that the new polished objects also served as status symbols for individuals of high social rank. They also occur as offerings in deposit finds and as precious objects in hoard finds.
