This polished stone axe was made in the Austrian Alps about 5,000 years ago during the Neolithic period. The beauty of the green stone (Jadeite) meant that it was highly valued as a trade object. It was found in Jersey about 1,000 miles from where it was made. Although stone axes were produced locally, about one in three axes found in the island from this period had been brought over and some island made axes have been found in England, indicating the extent of these Neolithic trade routes. Obviously it was not only tools that were carried by traders, ideas were also spread this way.
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