EXQUISITE GREEN JASPER PRESTIGE CELT WAR AXE FROM THE TENERIAN AFRICAN NEOLITHIC *CAP377

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On a dinosaur fossil-hunting expedition in 2000 by a team of scientific explorers led by Paul Sereno, a paleodune and ancient lakebed site was discovered that yielded over 200 ancient burials of Kiffian and Tenerian people.  The scientific findings showed that this area was once a humid lake region that was home to a hunter-fisher-gatherer people.  The area became known as the "Green Sahara" for its once fertile and habitable landscape.  Noted paleontologist, Dr. Paul Sereno, famous for other Saharan dinosaur discoveries, shot into the archaeological spotlight with his discovery of the ancient lakebed cemetery at Gobero in Niger in the year 2000.  Interred in the many burials were numerous stone tools, ceramics, shells, beads and bone harpoons typical for the lifestyle of these ancient people of the Green Sahara.  This exceptional AUTHENTIC artifact is similar to the specimens found at Gobero.  It comes from the same period and Tenerian Neolithic Culture of that famous discovery. 

It's an artifact like this that makes the Tenerian Neolithic so amazing.  This is a thin profile BIFACIAL CELT AXE HEAD.  Its size and workmanship indicate it was a weapon of war and prestige, not large enough or robust enough for utilitarian purposes.  One side has a wonderful 'desert varnish' while the other is unworn indicating this axe lay exposed on the desert surface for an extremely long time for the desert varnish polish to form.  A natural lighter cream vein in the stone on the proximal rounded end, is of a lesser hardness than the jasper and this too, shows wind erosion from the exposure.  All the flaking is as original made with no modern damage.  All surfaces show SUPERB flaking throughout to achieve an unusually thin profile in cross-section.  There is NO MODERN FLAKING anywhere on this piece as evidenced by the original sediment from the site still attached in the flake scars - a feature ONLY seen in AUTHENTIC examples.

EVERY BIT AS RARE AS THE FAMOUS ENIGMATIC TENERIAN GREEN JASPER DISKS, AND MADE WITH THE SAME INCREDIBLE WORKMANSHIP!

If you want the pinnacle of craftsmanship from the Tenerian Neolithic stone tool culture, then THIS is a MUST HAVE, important and rare object to have in your collection.

Made of green jasper, objects like this are legendary of archaeology and no other ancient or prehistoric stone tool culture in the world has ever matched the workmanship and beauty of these artifacts from this culture.  The stone type alone, is immediately recognizable as coming from only one place on the planet - the Tenere region of the south central Sahara Desert.  This is an exceptional example of these "mascot" objects of this Neolithic society.    The site where these were once found is completely clean and long since fully collected by modern nomads. . 

These flaked tools display some of the finest Neolithic workmanship of any region or culture in the African continent.  Adding to their beauty is the fact that green jasper was the common lithic used in their tools and weapons.  It was carefully shaped with the utmost skill using fine pressure flaking over the entire surface achieve its form and thin cross-section.  It is highly likely this piece was a prestige piece as great care was taken to make it as thin as possible - far in excess that would have been required for an ordinary tool.  Excellent desert wind polish and staining to the hinge fractures testifies to its age and authenticity. 

COMPLETE AND PERFECT AS ORIGINALLY MADE.  NO RESTORATION and NO REPAIR.

We are very fortunate to have acquired an old French collection of these artifacts, years ago.  Nevertheless, we have a very limited amount and once sold, we most certainly will never be able to replace them.  Objects from the Tenerian African Neolithic culture are so rare that not even most major museums have a single object in their collection. 

The Earth has been warming and cooling for millions of year, well long before humans were on the planet.  One of the most dramatic examples of climatic change in the last 10,000 years is the desiccation of what is now the Sahara desert.  Prior to as recent as 3000 B.C., the South Central Sahara region in Africa was a humid lake savanna.  It was home to a thriving culture of ancient humans known as the Tenerians and before them, the Kiffians.  The occupation of this area by these two peoples occurred continuously from around 7700 B.C. to the drying of the Sahara in 2500 B.C.. 

In the final Pleistocene and early Holocene Periods around 10,000 years ago, the South Central Sahara Desert was once a highly favorable environment for hunters, gatherers and pastoralists.  Freshwater lakes existed between the dunes in what is now the Tenere region, Lake Chad was eight times its current size, the highlands supported Mediterranean forest trees, and a diverse variety of both large and small fauna flourished there.  The slow drying out process of the Sahara, began 7,000 years ago and ended 4500 years ago resulting in the barren conditions that exist to this day.  As we progress through time from the end of the Pleistocene towards the end of the Neolithic Period there, we see humans relying more on meat from raised animals as opposed to hunted animals that once roamed wild in the formerly Green Sahara.