gems, jade, Fischer-Book, neolithic artifacts

In 1869, the historian George Finlay published a small pamphlet in Greek, entitled Παρατηρήσεις ἐπἰ τῆς ἐν Ἑλβετίᾳ και Ἑλλάδι Προϊστορικῆς Ἀρχαιολογίας (Observations on Prehistoric Archaeology in Switzerland and Greece), describing the discovery of Neolithic artefacts from Greece. This pamphlet is largely forgotten today, and the discovery of the Greek Stone Age is usually accorded to twentieth-century prehistorians (see e.g. Tsountas's excavations at Sesklo and Dimini). This article discusses Finlay's publication, and presents for the first time the transcription of the original English manuscript, upon which Παρατηρήσεις (Observations) was based. This material sheds light on the early stages of Aegean prehistory, and especially of Finlay's pioneering role. To 1869, ο ιστορικός George Finlay δημοσίευσε στην ελληνική γλώσσα ένα ευσύνοπτο φυλλάδιο, με τον τίτλο «Παρατηρήσεις ἐπἰ τῆς ἐν Ἑλβετίᾳ καί Ἑλλάδι Προϊστορικῆς Ἀρχαιολογίας», όπου περιέγραφε την ανακάλυψη στον ελλαδικό χώρο ευρημάτων του Νεολιθικού πολιτισμού. Το φυλλάδιο αυτό έχει γενικώς σήμερα ξεχαστεί, ενώ η ανακάλυψη της εποχής του λίθου στον ελλαδικό χώρο, κατά κανόνα ταυτίζεται με του μελετητές της ελληνικής προϊστορίας, οι οποίοι έδρασαν τον 20ο αιώνα (βλέπε ανασκαφές Τσούντα στο Σέσκλο και το Διμήνι). Το εν λόγω άρθρο πραγματεύεται τη δημοσίευση του Finlay και παρουσιάζεται για πρώτη φορά η μεταγραφή του πρωτοτύπου αγγλικού κειμένου, επάνω στο οποίο βασίστηκαν οι παρατηρήσεις. Το υλικό αυτό διαφωτίζει τα πρώιμα στάδια της Αιγιακής προϊστορίας, αναδεικνύοντας συγχρόνως τον πρωτοποριακό ρόλο, που διαδραμάτισε ο Finlay.

gems, jade, jade in Europe, Fischer-Book

Dechen reports the proceedings of a meeting of the Naturhistorischer Verein der preussischen Rheinlande und Westphalens, opening with the president’s address and reviewing scientific work, discoveries, and matters of interest to the society. The address ranges across contemporary geology, mineralogy, paleontology, and natural history, noting publications, investigations, and specimens brought to the society’s attention. Of particular mineralogical interest is the material discussed on p. 109, where nephrite and the contemporary problem of identifying jade and jade-like stones are considered in connection with archaeological finds. The notice belongs to the developing nineteenth-century debate over the occurrence and provenance of nephrite in Europe and the interpretation of nephrite artifacts recovered from prehistoric sites.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

Brumund examines the remains and traditions of Hinduism in Java, drawing on archaeological monuments, inscriptions, sculpture, religious practices, and earlier Javanese and European accounts. He discusses temples, deities, ritual objects, beliefs, and customs as evidence for the character and development of Hindu religious culture on the island and its adaptation within a Javanese setting. The work forms part of the nineteenth-century effort to document Java’s pre-Islamic religious and archaeological heritage and preserves observations made before many monuments had been systematically investigated. Of particular interest is the discussion on p. 58, which contributes evidence concerning stones and objects associated with Javanese Hindu religious practice and material culture.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book, turquoise, Sinai

Brugsch recounts his journey through the Sinai Peninsula to the ancient turquoise-mining district of Wadi Maghara and Serabit el-Khadim, combining travel observations with descriptions of the archaeological remains and inscriptions encountered there. Of particular gemological importance is his account of the Sinai turquoise mines, including the geological setting, ancient workings, extraction of turquoise, and evidence for Egyptian mining expeditions. He discusses the hieroglyphic inscriptions and reliefs left by pharaonic expeditions and their value for establishing the antiquity and organization of turquoise exploitation in Sinai. The work provides an important nineteenth-century eyewitness account of one of the world’s oldest documented gemstone-mining regions and links the physical remains of turquoise extraction with contemporary understanding of ancient Egyptian history and epigraphy.

gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Fischer-Book

Hochstetter and Petermann discuss the Franz Joseph Glacier and the geography of the Southern Alps of New Zealand, describing the glacier, surrounding mountains, drainage, and the exploration and mapping of the region. The account places the glacier within the broader physical geography of the South Island and incorporates contemporary geographical information concerning the rugged and still imperfectly explored western districts. Of particular relevance to jade studies is the reference on p. 59 to New Zealand greenstone or pounamu (nephrite), a material closely associated with the western South Island and highly valued by Māori for tools, weapons, and ornaments. The paper provides contemporary geographical context for nineteenth-century attempts to understand the occurrence and source areas of New Zealand nephrite.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

Bastian examines the religious, magical, and symbolic significance attributed to stones among different peoples, treating stone worship as a comparative ethnographic phenomenon. Drawing on historical, archaeological, and ethnographic accounts from numerous regions, he discusses sacred stones, stone idols, amulets, talismans, and naturally unusual stones believed to possess supernatural or protective powers. He considers traditions concerning stones associated with deities, ancestors, fertility, healing, divination, and other ritual practices and compares recurring beliefs across otherwise unrelated cultures. The paper reflects Bastian’s broader attempt to identify common patterns in human thought through comparative ethnography and provides an early anthropological survey of the ritual and symbolic uses of stones.

gems, jade, jade in Europe, Fischer-Other, Europe

Few relics of antiquity combine in one so many and so widely differing points of interest, with respect to the material, the strangely dissimilar uses to which the same object has been applied in two opposite phases of the history of Man, and, above all, the curious superstitions engendered by its peculiar form, as does the stone brought under the notice of the Institute by General Lefroy at the meeting of February 7th of the present year. The kindness of that gentleman having afforded me full opportunity for the careful examination of this interesting monument, I shall proceed, at the request of some members of our Society, to embody in as succinct a form as their multifarious nature will permit, the observations suggested to me by that examination.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

Martius presents an extensive study of the Indigenous peoples and languages of the Americas, with particular emphasis on Brazil, drawing upon his travels, earlier historical sources, missionary accounts, and linguistic materials. The first part surveys the geographical distribution, physical and cultural characteristics, customs, social organization, material culture, and historical relationships of numerous Indigenous peoples, while the second is devoted to their languages, vocabularies, classification, and affinities. Martius attempts to reconstruct relationships and migrations among Brazilian peoples through combined ethnographic and linguistic evidence and records substantial information on Indigenous tools, weapons, ornaments, and use of natural materials. The work is an important nineteenth-century compilation of Brazilian ethnographic and linguistic information, although many of its broader anthropological interpretations reflect theories of its period that are now obsolete.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book, Polynesia, Tahiti, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Maori

Angas presents a popular survey of the geography, inhabitants, natural history, customs, and products of the Pacific islands, drawing upon contemporary travel accounts and his own experience in the region. Of particular gemological and ethnographic interest is his discussion of New Zealand pounamu or greenstone, which he describes as a highly valued material employed by Māori for weapons and ornaments. He notes its use for mere and hei-tiki, the laborious methods required to shape and polish the exceptionally tough stone, and the importance attached to individual objects, which could be preserved and handed down as valued possessions. The account provides a useful nineteenth-century description of Māori nephrite working and the cultural value of pounamu at a time when traditional practices were undergoing rapid change.

gems, jade, pyroxene jade, fei cui, jadeite, omphacite, kosmochlor, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, Maya, Olmec, Aztec, Fischer

Waldeck and Brasseur de Bourbourg present an illustrated study of the ancient monuments of Mexico and Yucatán, with particular emphasis on the Maya ruins of Palenque. Based on drawings and surveys made by Waldeck during his travels, the work reproduces views of archaeological sites, architecture, bas-reliefs, sculpture, ceramics, maps, and plans, accompanied by Brasseur de Bourbourg’s historical and interpretive text. The authors discuss the architecture, iconography, inscriptions, religious imagery, and material culture of the ancient inhabitants and attempt to place the monuments within the broader history of pre-Columbian Mexico and Central America. Although some of Waldeck’s reconstructions and Brasseur de Bourbourg’s interpretations are now regarded as inaccurate or speculative, the volume is an important nineteenth-century record of Maya monuments and artifacts, documenting Palenque and other sites before subsequent deterioration and archaeological investigation.