ABSTRACT

Rock crystal is among the most fascinating materials in the archaeological record. It is formed in alpine-type fissures by hydrothermal processes. Due to its physical properties, rock crystal has been a valuable resource throughout human history. In alpine regions, it was frequently used for the production of stone tools between the Mesolithic and the Bronze Age. However, there are only a handful of known prehistoric crystal quartz quarries in Europe. The following article presents evidence for rock crystal mining during the Early Mesolithic and the final stage of the Neolithic at a high-altitude site in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. In combination with radiocarbon dates from previous studies, the results of our fieldwork indicate that in the Swiss Alps rock crystal was mined almost 10,000 years ago. Furthermore, typo-technological analyses provide new insights into the way in which the raw material was processed during the represented time periods.

摘要

水晶是考古记录中最迷人的材料之一。它是通过热液过程在高山型裂缝中形成的。由于其物理特性，水晶在整个人类历史上一直是一种宝贵的资源。在高山地区，在中石器时代和青铜时代之间，它经常被用于生产石器。然而，欧洲已知的史前水晶石英采石场屈指可数。以下文章提供了在瑞士瓦莱州高海拔地区中石器时代早期和新石器时代最后阶段开采水晶的证据。结合以前研究的放射性碳日期，我们的实地调查结果表明，瑞士阿尔卑斯山的水晶是在近 10,000 年前开采的。此外，