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Product Description
SEE MORE AFRICAN NEOLITHIC TOOLS
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.
Of all the unique objects that are known from this rare African Neolithic culture, the green jasper "sun disk" are considered one of the most unusual and iconic. The term 'sun disk' was coined by some collectors and no one knows if these were meant to be actually effigies of the sun, as their purpose is completely enigmatic. The Tenerians flaked extremely fine bifacial disks (in mostly green jasper), ranging in size from 2 to 3 inches, to up to nearly 6 inches in diameter, most with exceptionally thin cross-sectional thickness. The flaking and workmanship, as well as the incredibly symmetrical circular shapes rule them out as being ordinary utilitarian tools. Were they used for trade currency, displays of prestige and wealth, or reserved for a high-level members of the tribes? It is not known but the knapped form to the level that they Tenerians achieved, and the green jasper lithic used, is unlike anything found in any other Neolithic culture of the world. Regardless of their purpose, these objects represent prehistoric and Neolithic artistic creation and expression. While the majority of Tenerian green jasper objects are of solid color, this masterpiece artifact was made of subtly BANDED green jasper. The unusually large, flat surface allows for a wonderful viewing of the banding patterns in the jasper, adding to the already breath-taking beauty in this prehistoric work of art.
While we have offered various Tenerian green jasper scrapers in the past including some small disk scrapers, nothing we have ever offered before is of this caliber. This was the largest and most impressive Tenerian green jasper ovate biface that resided in our 24 year collection, gleaned of the best pieces we encountered in our history.
It's an artifact like this that makes the Tenerian Neolithic so amazing. This is a thin profile OVATE THIN BIFACE DISK. Its size and workmanship indicate it was an object of prestige, too well-made to damage with everyday use. One side has a lighter patina while the other is darker, indicating this object lay exposed on the desert surface for an extremely long time. Both sides shows exceptional and naturally lustrous 'desert varnish'. All the flaking is as originally made with the finest workmanship of a highly skilled artisan. 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.
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.
Tenerian Neolithic green jasper objects like this, are legendary in prehistory. No other ancient or prehistoric stone tool culture in the world has ever matched the workmanship and beauty of Tenerian green jasper flaked stone objects. The lithic 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. .
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.
HISTORY
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.
