Prestige and former trade

Between 5 000 and 3 800 BC, axes like the one from Rensing-Kellinghusen were produced in France and northern Italy from especially beautiful and rare kinds of stone, like jadeite and eclogite. These axes were carefully ground and given a high polish, so, they surely were not meant for practical use. They functioned as prestigious objects with a ritual significance and were exchanged over large distances. In northern Germany, such an “alien” object attests to far-reaching relations and Europe-wide contacts.