European Battle-axe Nordic, 2500-1700 BC Stone 19.5 cm L. PROVENANCE: Private collection, Mézières-lez-Cléry, France 1970. Acquired by inheritance in 2022. CONDITION: Intact. These tools date to the north-west European Neolithic, the period when societies across northern Europe began to adopt agriculture. The magnitude of the changes during this era cannot be overstated. The transition from hunter-gatherer societies towards a more sedentary, farm-oriented existence is one of the most critical moments in human history, ultimately enabling the rise of civilization. It was stone tools that paved the way for this development, cutting down the ancient forests that had supported hunter gather societies for thousands of years and allowing the growth of crops and grazing animals. The Neolithic Scandinavians were a conservative people, who clung resolutely to the use of stone tools even as their neighbours adopted metalworking. This evocative artefact; broad, hardy and strong, has more than a hint of the society that produced it. Notes: The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki. The piece includes authenticity certificate. The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested. This process could take between 1 and 2 months.