gems, jade, Fischer-Book

A survey by Heinrich Fischer of the geographical distribution of prehistoric stone axes made of nephrite, jadeite and chloromelanite, with particular emphasis on specimens preserved in European public and private collections. Building on his earlier mineralogical studies of jade, Fischer compares reported finds and museum holdings in an effort to distinguish the three materials and to trace their distribution across Europe. The paper forms part of the nineteenth-century debate over the provenance of European jade implements and the extent to which their raw materials were locally available or introduced through long-distance exchange. It is important for the history of archaeological mineralogy because Fischer applies mineral identification to questions of prehistoric technology, trade and cultural contact.