gems, jade, Europe, Switzerland, Italy, archaeology

This chapter summarizes the results of two major international projects, Projet JADE and JADE2. These examined the exploitation, circulation, use and signifcance of artefacts made from jadeitite and other green rocks from the Western Alps in Neolithic Europe. The most widely-travelled of all prehistoric materials, these Alpine jades seem to have been accorded special signifcance by many and diverse communities, particularly in Western Europe. This “Europe of jade” contrasts, however, with the “Europe of copper” in eastern and southeast Europe, where copper (along with gold) was the main material of choice in terms of socially-valued substances, while objects of Alpine jades are scarce.