EXCEPTIONAL COLLECTION OF 45 NEOLITHIC AND MESOLITHIC GEM POINTS. ...

Description

EXCEPTIONAL COLLECTION OF 45 NEOLITHIC AND MESOLITHIC GEM POINTS
13,000 - 5,000 B.P.
Northern Sahara, southwest Algeria,
Across the immense rolling sands of the Northern Sahara, the intense desert sun beats down remorselessly. Its gamma ray radiation literally sun-burns these prehistoric artifacts left behind by our huntsmen ancestors. This burning and the natural action of wind-blown sand-blasting create a beautifully rich and lustrous patina, entirely unique to specimens from this part of the world. The fine quality gemmy agates and jaspers from which some of these points are fashioned are the result of local volcanism, whilst metamorphic limestone formed from ancient deep-water sea beds created the beautiful varied colors of fine gemmy cherts and seam agate. All these specimens come from being surface collected - no archeological site was disturbed. Presented in an 18½ x 11 5/8-inch glazed wooden display case to allow natural light to illuminate the many colors and patterns of the points, they represent two distinct periods of time, the Neolithic and Mesolithic ages, and include Caspian and Burkina Faso points, serrated leaf points and barbed oddities, reworked probably from minor damage during the production of fan tails and barbed Burkina Faso points. The specimens range from 5/8 to 4 5/8 inches in length. For the centerpiece, a fine red jasper bi-point.
Provenance: Martillo Collection.

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