Abstrakt: |
In the mid 1930s an amber object shaped like a miniature battle-axe was found in the northern part of Öland, an island in the Baltic Sea. The object is a very detailed copy of a true battle-axe in stone dating from the Battle-Axe Culture of the late Middle Neolithic. Miniature battle-axes in stone are not rare, but this is the only example made of amber. The findspot was situated in deep water during the Middle Neolithic, and so an alternative interpretation of the origin is presented. Although this is the only battle-axe in amber, other amber objects, such as ornaments, are known from the same cultural complex in southern Scandinavia. The paper also includes a survey of miniature battle-axes in amber from other cultures during the Neolithic in southern Scandinavia. In the mid 1930s an amber object shaped like a miniature battle-axe was found in the northern part of Öland, an island in the Baltic Sea. The object is a very detailed copy of a true battle-axe in stone dating from the Battle-Axe Culture of the late Middle Neolithic. Miniature battle-axes in stone are not rare, but this is the only example made of amber. The findspot was situated in deep water during the Middle Neolithic, and so an alternative interpretation of the origin is presented. Although this is the only battle-axe in amber, other amber objects, such as ornaments, are known from the same cultural complex in southern Scandinavia. The paper also includes a survey of miniature battle-axes in amber from other cultures during the Neolithic in southern Scandinavia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |