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The circular hole is a later, possibly Bronze Age or ancient Greek, addition. This axe may have served as a votive after its initial utilitarian use in the Stone Age. Such axes were known as thunderstones in ancient Greek times and were believed to be physical manifestations left by the lightning bolts of Zeus, the thunder god.
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Title: Small jadeitite axe
Period: Neolithic
Date: 5th–4th millennium BCE
Culture: Cretan
Medium: Steatite, green
Dimensions: L. 1 3/8 in. (3.49 cm); W. 1 1/4 in. (3.17 cm)
Classification: Miscellaneous-Stone
Credit Line: Bequest of Richard B. Seager, 1926
Accession Number: 26.31.501
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