Ein bemerkenswertes spätneolithisches Artefakt aus »Wiedaer Schiefer« aus Ostwestfalen-Lippe

Abstract

A stone axe as well as a piece of raw material with saw grooves were rediscovered in an old collection. Both are composed of so-called Wieda slate, a stone that was solely quarried in the northern Harz foreland and nearly exclusively used for the production of axes. The raw material was only exploited in the late Neolithic period and the axe’s distribution is primarily confined to central Germany with the main area of distribution lying in North Hesse, respectively East Westphalia-Lippe, the central Elbe-Saale river area and the Havelland. The newly discovered artefacts are surface finds from Warburg-Daseburg and Borgentreich-Borgholz (both Kr. Höxter), thus originate from the western fringe of the distribution area. Especially the piece of raw material with saw grooves is of high significance, as it questions present conceptions of the production and trade of »Wiedaer Schiefer«. So far, one was only aware of pieces of raw material and semi-finished products originating from places not far from the rock deposits in the county of Quedlinburg. Therefore, it was assumed that only finished axes were traded. The new find of the work exemplar forces us to reconsider these existing assumptions at least in parts and presents the possibility that sawed pieces of raw material were made also for export.