It is probable, therefore, that the 'trade' in stone axes will be better understood by a systematic programme of petrological analysis of other artefacts. However, those artefacts and the polished stone axe should not be seen or interpreted in the context of the Neolithic alone but rather against the background of the Mesolithic. Nevertheless, it is probable that exchange patterns changed during the course of the Neolithic and some rock sources appear to have been exploited earlier than others. While this has implications for the value of distribution maps, it does appear that Group VI axes were being exchanged over long distances by the end of the earliest Neolithic. The possibility that such axes were being exchanged for perishable goods and, in particular, the exotic domesticates that have for so long been held to be another primary characteristic of the Neolithic seems probable, but it is also probable that in some areas the early Neolithic exchange networks developed from those of the Mesolithic. Indeed, it is possible that the choice of procurement site may itself have related to how Mesolithic peoples perceived their world.
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