纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 014玉斧（3）

Axes like this normally have a haft-that is, they're fitted into a long wooden handle and they're used like a modern axe; but it's quite clear that our axe has never been hafted-in fact, it shows no signs of wear and tear at all. If I run my finger carefully, rather gingerly, round the blade end, I can't feel even the smallest chip. The long flat surfaces are remarkably smooth and still have a glossy, mirror-like sheen.

斧头通常都有斧柄，装上长长的木制斧柄，才能像现代斧头一样发 挥功用。但很明显，本节中的这把斧头从未装过斧柄，且完全没有任何使用过的痕迹。用手指小心地抚摸斧刃，也完全感觉不到哪怕最细微的缺损。长而平坦的表面极为光滑，仍旧发出镜面般的光泽。

The conclusion is obvious: not only has our axe not been used-it was never intended to be used. Mark Edmonds of York University explains how this magnificent prestige object was made:

结论是肯定的。这把斧头从未被使用过，人们打造它的目的也不是使用，而是欣赏。约克大学的马克埃德蒙玆阐述了这件华丽迷人的物品是如何打造出来的：

"If you have the good fortune to handle one of these axes-the feel in the hand, the balance, the weight, the smoothness-they have been polished to an extraordinary degree. We are talking about hour upon hour of grinding against stone, and then polishing with fine sand or silt and water, and then rubbing backwards and forwards in the hand, perhaps with grease and leaves, to really give that polish-that's days and days of work. It gives the edge a really sharp and resilient bite to it, but the polishing also brings out the shape, allows the control of form, and brings out that extraordinary green and black speckled quality to the stone-it makes it instantly recognisable, it makes it visually very striking. And those things maybe are just as important almost as the cutting edge."

如果你有幸握过一把这样的斧头，感受它的重量、光滑与均衡， 就会了解工匠们将其打磨得何等精细。要获得这样的光泽，先要用石头长时间打磨，再用细沙或混水的泥沙抛光，最后在手里反复摩挲，可能还要用上油脂和树叶。不知道要用掉多少天的工夫才能磨 出尖端略带弹性的利刃。在打磨的过程中还要留心形状，控制形式，体现出这种玉石特有的黑绿相间的色泽,让它变得十分抢眼，使人 一眼就能认出。对这样的斧头来说，视觉事受也许与锋利的斧刃同样重要。