The green stone

Suggested reading

Piero Barale, UN REBUS AI PIEDI DEL MONVISO RIFERIMENTI ASTRONOMICI
EMERSI DA ALCUNE INCISIONI RUPESTRI DELLE ALPI SUDOCCIDENTALI
The Po valley that, detaching from the Monviso, is the most important way to
get to this impressive mountain, had to favour different religious events as shown
by the still existing rock-engraving symbolizing the ancient people who pray.
These ancient cultural events have shown interesting astronomical
characteristics proving how the correlation between rock-engraving and the sky
observation during special periods of the year could be closed.
From the ideal centre from where the rock-engravings start, it seems it could be
possible to fix with great precision the changing of the seasons.
Furthermore, the users of this supposed “natural calendar” could get
information about the moon position during particular periods of its cycle;
situation that has always aroused great interest.
http://www.brera.unimi.it/sisfa/atti/1997/Barale.pdf

"La valle Po, già frequentata nel Neolitico20 dai “cercatori della pietra verde” -
(Pirosseni-Giadeite) materiale litico di elevata durezza che veniva estratto nei
depositi alluvionali della valle-, vedrà forse apparire le prime rappresentazioni
rupestri con la fine dell’età del Rame - inizio età del Bronzo. Ma con molta probabilità
il periodo di massimo sviluppo e popolarità del fenomeno si avrà solo
nell’età del Ferro. "
see also
http://stretchingtheboundaries.blogspot.it/2013/03/monte-viso.html

"Monte Viso is the location of a neolithic jadeite quarry, at an elevation of 2000 to 2400 metres. Its productivity peaked around 5000 BC. The jadeite was used to make cult axes, which are found all over western Europe." From Wiki

Geheimnisvolle Kult-Beile: Statussymbole der Steinzeit, Von Almut Bick
Sie sind ein Mysterium, eines der größten Rätsel aus der Zeit der Jäger und Sammler: Steinklingen aus kostbarstem Jadeit. Wozu dienten diese Äxte, die Archäologen in halb Europa gefunden haben? Forscher sind dem Geheimnis nun dicht auf der Spur ...Über sechstausend Jahre ist es her, dass die steinzeitlichen Bergleute mit dem äußerst seltenen Jadeit heimkehrten. Hoch oben, jenseits der Schneegrenze des Monte Viso in den italienischen Alpen, betrieben sie einen regelrechten Steinbruch für das grüne Mineral. ...

http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/geheimnisvolle-kult-beile-statussymbole-der-steinzeit-a-477917.html

See also:
Zwischen Atlantik und Schwarzem Meer , Die großen Beile aus alpinem Jadeit im 5. und 4.Jt. v. Chr
by Serge Cassen
http://www.academia.edu/1954923/Zwischen_Atlantik_und_Schwarzem_Meer_Die_grossen_Beile_aus_alpinem_Jadeit_im_5._und_4.Jt._v.Chr

Zu den Jadeit-Quellen am Monte Viso
by Rengert Elburg
http://www.academia.edu/3119319/Zu_den_Jadeit-Quellen_am_Monte_Viso

Mosaic - Palazzo Madama, Torino

XI-XII century, Palazzo Madama