ROUGH STONE MONUMENTS 



These sculptured axes call to mind at once the 

 numerous axe-shaped pendants of fine polished 

 stone (jade, jadeite, etc.) found in Malta, Sicily, 

 Sardinia, and France, and apparently used as 

 amulets. The excavation of Crete has brought 

 to light a remarkable worship of the double axe, 

 and it has been argued with great probability 

 that one of the early boat signs figured on the pre- 

 dynastic painted vases of Egypt is a double axe, 

 and that this was a cult object. It seems very 

 probable that in the megalithic area, or at least 

 in part of it, there was a somewhat similar worship, 

 the object of cult, however, being not a double 

 but a single axe, usually represented as fitted with 

 a handle. It need not be assumed that the axe 

 itself was worshipped, though this is not im- 

 possible ; it is more likely that it was an attribute 

 of some god or goddess. 



Among the rock-hewn tombs of the valley of 

 the Petit Morin in the department of Marne, 

 France, were seven which contained engravings 

 on one of the walls. Several of these represent 

 human figures (Fig. 13). The eyes are not marked, 

 but the hair and nose are clear. In some the breasts 

 are shown, in others they are omitted. On each 

 figure is represented what appears to be a collar 

 or necklace. Similar figures occur on the slabs 

 of some of the allees converter of Seine et Oise, and 

 on certain blocks found in and near megalithic 

 burials in the South of France. Moreover, in the 



138 



