FINDS OF JADE AND NEPHRITE AXES ON THE TERRITORY OF CROATIA

Abstract

Due to numerous circumstances we can not say much about neolithic and eneolithic sites where nephrite and jade axes were discovered in Croatia. The most importaint reason is that almost all of those axes came in sight of archaeologists by accident, i.e. they were collected on sites that have never been excavated.

The coast and islands of Croatian side of Adriatic gave us many axes but archaeologists never examined them properly. Some of them are supposed to be of jade. It is not surprising if we have in mind that one of the oldest prehistoric trade routes in this area led from Italy (peninsula of Gargano and Tremiti Islands) across of the islands of Palagruža and Lastovo to the coast and further along the rivers Neretva and Bosna towards central Europe. Another cocncentration of sites, where such axes were discovered is microregion of Sinj, Okruglo, Maljkovo, Tijarica and Budimiri Donji . Although these sites have never been excavated but seven axes from them have been registrated. It is more likely that we can expect more of them.

Only one jade axe has been found in north-western part of Croatia. It came from the site of Staro Čiče near Zagreb and it is one of two for which we do know stratigraphic layer, (the other one is nephrite axe from Markova špilja at the island of Hvar). Both of them are dated to the aproximatley same time. This fact point a live trade between those two parts of Croatia.

The geological position of Croatia near north Italian and south-eastern Balkan resources of jade and its actual position in the middle of those two areas, could imply that there are many of such artifacts to be found in the future. For example, 9 of 10 jade axes were discovered without archaeological investigation.