Production and diffusion of axes in the Seine valley

First evidence of prehistoric eclogite quarrying for polished tools and their circulation on the Iberian Peninsula

“…The final abrasion and polishing steps must have been done at the settlements as no remnants of these activities have been observed in the quarries. This archaeological phenomenon, which responds to the need of getting as much good use and abundant raw material as possible for the fashioning of tools, is in line with the quarrying of primary geological outcrops in some Western European sites during late prehistory (Bjarke, ; Burrow, ; Davis, & Edmonds, ; Ericson, & Purdy, ; Giligny et al., ; Pétrequin et al., ; Pétrequin, & Jeunesse, ). Locally, as in the Alps, the quarries are as high as 2500 m (Pétrequin et al., ), a fact that highlights how important the exploitation of these primary geological contexts was for artisans.…”

“…These tools refer mainly to axes, adzes, chisels, hammers, and grinding elements. Occasionally, they also had a symbolic or votive significance because of their unique lithology, shine, and/or color (Coudert, ; Giligny et al., ; Le Maux, ). The materials studied here are pieces exclusively used for everyday tasks.…”

“…In France, Giligny et al. () documented sources of Bartonian flint, Cretaceous flint, and quartz sandstone in the Seine River valley west of Paris. Pétrequin et al., () recorded quartz‐pelite in Plancher‐les‐Mines (Haute Saône) in eastern France, as well as eclogite and jadeitite in Mont Viso in the Alps.…”

“…In the United Kingdom, Bjarke (2011) identified felsite rock quarries in North Roe, while Shetland, Davis, and Edmonds (2011) found sources of felsite and feltstone rock in Central Fells, Cumbria, and Burrow (2011) discovered those of dolerite rock in Mynydd Rhiw. In France, Giligny et al (2011) documented sources of Bartonian flint, Cretaceous flint, and quartz sandstone in the Seine River valley west of Paris. Pétrequin et al, (2012) recorded quartz-pelite in Plancher-les-Mines (Haute Saône) in eastern France, as well as eclogite and jadeitite in Mont Viso in the Alps.…”