This sort of axe was most effective against an enemy not equipped with helmets – well, that goes without saying, really. Have a look at the flat, multi-tanged cutting axe that had been developed in the second half of the previous millennium (a tang is a metal projection on the blade of the axe, by which the blade is held firmly in the handle). Here it was used mainly for tearing down the wall of a besieged city (see above right). In a scene from the wall painting at Saqqarah, you can clearly see the semicircular bladed axe. It shows very clearly the shape of the “slice axe” used by Egyptian soldiers and it also shows how it was used: it was swung with both hands and brought smartly down to deliver a sharp blow. The siege and battle scene shown on limestone in the tomb of Anta, at Deshashe in Upper Egypt is most instructive on the functioning of the axe in battle. This was attached to a wooden handle by cords which were drawn through holes in its neck and fastened securely round lugs on either side. Battle axes change in Egyptīut starting from about 2500 BC we find the gradual introduction of the narrow blade, shaped like a slice of an orange. In the first half of the third millennium, the axeblades were mostly semicircular and often were fitted with lugs at the rear, on either side, to enable the handle to be bound more firmly. No helmets or coats of mail, against which a piercing weapon would have been needed, have been found from that period. They did not take to new ideas.īut it may be also that throughout the third millennium, Egypt had no need for a piercing axe. Perhaps this was because the ancient Egyptians were notoriously conservative. Moreover, it was fairly easy to attach the handle to the blade by means of a tang or by cords run through holes in the rear of the blade.īut this does not explain why, when the first piercing axe was finally introduced into Egypt in a much later period, it was socket-less. In the third millennium they were using wide-edged cutting weapons, and it was clearly difficult to fit such blades with a long socket. The ancient Egyptians seem to have rejected the socket-type axe. The Sumerians develop the AxeĮgyptian soldiers with axes besieging a walled city and trying to scale the walls. ![]() This variety reflects the way armorers tried to adapt to technical and tactical innovations, as they happened. the duck-bill axe, (see right) with the longer blade and two smaller holes.the eye axe, with two large holes in the blade.This projection and bar and the shape of the blade gave it the outline of an anchor. the anchor axe, with a longer central tang projection from its rear fitted with a crossbar, by which it was fitted better to the handle.It has a short blade and wide edge, the rear of the blade having three projections or tangs by which it was fitted to the handle. the epsilon axe, which gets its name because it is shaped like the figure 3, or the Greek letter epsilon.In this type, the join was strengthened by binding or intertwining with cord. the tang type, in which the rear of the blade is fitted into the handle.“And when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, that he die.” The seven different battle axesĪxes are classified according to the way the blade is joined to the handle:ĭuck-billed axe excavated at Ugarit the socket type, in which the handle is fitted into a socket in the blade The Bible draws attention to it in Deuteronomy 19:5: This, of course, is a danger in all such instruments, even the axe used by the laborer. The blade had to be fitted to the handle in a way that it would not fly off in action. It was also necessary to produce an axe that did not separate into two pieces when it was used. the axe with a short blade and a wide edge was for cutting.the axe with a long blade ending in a short sharp edge was for piercing.But if he wore armor, the piercing axe was required, with power of penetration.Īxes could therefore be broadly divided according to shape, which coincides with their function: The cutting axe was effective against an enemy who fought without armor. This, too, influenced the form of the axeblade. The quality of the enemy’s armor at the time dictated which of these was important. Since the axe was designed for hand-to-hand fighting, its development was guided by the need either to pierce or to cut. the handle was widest at the point of grip, tapering toward the head.To prevent the weapon from leaving the soldier’s hand when swung, ![]() The key problem was fitting the head to the handle in such a way that it would not fly off when swung, or break off when struck. ![]() ![]() Ceremonial axe from Obelisks Temple, Byblos.
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