BELIUNG

This is an outstanding Neolithic artifact, called a beliung. It's smooth and shiny surface, revealing the inner beauty of the stone's texture, were the result of a special technique, used for the honing the piece. The very first beliung pieces with wooden handles attached to ordinary stones were intended for agricultural use, such as the tilling of land. Later, the use of the beliung expanded with the use of semiprecious stones, such as chalcedon, and pieces were specifically made for ceremonial purposes or for barter. Efforts to determine the original use of this piece, indicate either a bartering piece or to a burial gift.