Flanged Axe Head

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Artist
Name	Unknown
Basic Info
Period	Bronze Age
Created in	Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe
Century	3rd-2nd millennium BCE
Culture	European
Dimensions	9.27 cm (3 5/8 in.)
Harvard Museum
Department	Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics
Division	Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact	am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Context

This flanged axe is elliptical in form. The worn blade is slightly flared, and there is a triangular chip missing from the center. The sides of the handle have low, curved flanges that are wider toward the blade (1). The butt is rounded and flat. 
 
NOTES:
 
1. Compare A. M. Bietti Sestieri and E. Macnamara, Prehistoric Metal Artefacts from Italy (3500-720 BC) in the British Museum (London, 2007) 36, no. 22, pl. 4. 
 
Lisa M. Anderson

TechnicalDetails

Technical Observations

The axe head was cast in a bivalve mold. It is covered with a thick, friable, light green patina that has formed into a dendritic structure. It is worn to bare metal on the raised areas and edges. One of the bottom corners is slightly distorted by a blow or fall, which has caused the powdery patina to pop off. There is a large notch in the blade, perhaps a chip, which is otherwise slightly uneven and dulled.
 
Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2012)

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University