In the course of his research on the use of local lithic resources in the Neolithic of the Vorderpfalz, Thomas Bartz tested the tool suitability of shell limestone as axe or axe blades.
To this end, he sifted through the lithic artefacts from the Herxheim district trench, among which he discovered three axe and/or axe fragments made of shell limestone, which were ritually burnt, smashed and deposited in the trenches together with skull calottes. So far, shell limestone blades from the Late Linear Pottery are singular. The question is whether these were purely votive objects or genuine tools, like many others made of amphibolite that were destroyed in the cult there. The expectation was that shell limestone was absolutely unsuitable for axe or axe blades and that the cutting edges would splinter after a very short time or the blades would break. Two different types of limestone were used. One blade of dolomite without fossil inclusions but with two calcite veins and one of shell limestone with fossil inclusions. The dolomite blade of the adze broke after about 15 blows on the calcite vein, but the cutting edge was absolutely intact. In the case of the adze with fossil inclusions, the binding came loose several times. After the emergency repair of the winding with duct tape, work could be continued on the second day. Here, an attempt was made to damage the blade by force on the tree, but this did not succeed.
In future trials, the actual tool suitability of blades made of shell limestone should be clarified in more detail.
References
- Andrea Zeeb-Lanz: Herxheim bei Landau (Pfalz): einzigartiger Schauplatz jungsteinzeitlicher Zerstörungsrituale mit Menschenopfern / Herxheim près de Landau (Palatinat): Théâtre extraordinaire des rituels de destruction avec sacrifices humains. In: M. Koch (Ed.): Archäologentage Otzenhausen, Band 3, 2016. Beiträge der Internationalen Tagung zur Archäologie in der Großregion in der Europäischen Akademie Otzenhausen, 14.–17. April 2016 (Nonnweiler 2017) pp. 101–122. (German)