Many times whenever I see a movie that takes place in ancient Egypt, I often see guards carrying around a polearm that looks like this:

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It seems it's been called an axe, but I always thought an Egyptian axe looked like this:

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Either way both look like ceremonial items. Would these have ever seen use in the ancient Egyptian military during the reign of Ramesses II? And would anyone happen to know if that polearm was really an axe?

I would take what you see in movies with a grain of salt... they are very rarely accurate.

The 'polearm' looks more like the base of a fan to me; minus the feathers out of the top. Notable Egyptians were usually flanked by a couple of fan bearers.

I'm not an expert of Ancient Egyptian arms, but for what its worth I've never seen anything like it.

For the top one, the fan theory sounds good.

The second one is a common axe model. I've always thought them to be quite functional. Most aren't decorated so nicely.

oh yeah, Jean absolutely got it.

star trek was the first association i had, when i saw the picture of this weapon
(and if i rember this episode rightly, there were also some egyptian-style people meeting the enterprise before this fight)

There is a real "weapon" that is similar, the Chinese monk's spade:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monk%27s_spade

Only really known as a specialised kung fu weapon, and a weapon carried by fictional monks (in Monkey/Journey to the West and Outlaws of the Marsh/Water Margin). Not the kind of thing palace guards would use.

Perhaps a deliberate hybrid, a monk's spade (what does the other end look like?) mixed with "Egyptian" decoration.

Jean, beat me to it. My first thought was, "Hey! It's a lirpa!" :D

As mentioned above, it looks a lot like an Egyptian fan. There would have been ostrich feathers arrayed across the top of the crescent part. Not a weapon, but I suppose you could have clonked someone on the head with it in a pinch, though. ;)

As someone has already said it does greatly resemble a monks spade which was a real weapon, so it's not totally out of the question that that could be a weapon, some people said fan but I'm not sure if that was speculation or fact.

The Monk's spade actually has a shorter and less curved blade surface area. This weapon could provide a greater slicing capability if it could be proven to be in fact, historically correct.

There's a lot of different polearms from Egypt and neighbouring regions (see f.e. http://www.larp.com/hoplite/JP4.jpg), but I've not seen anything like that. I've been wondering though about weapons found in Europe, where you have combinations of much elongated flanged axes, chisels and spoon shaped axes (don't have a picture at hand atm). I've been wondering if they might have been attached lengthwise to be used as polearm, rather then at an angle. These date from before bronze spears became common, so they may have been early experiments.

Functionally the " Demi-Lune " polearm Spanish 16th or17 th centuries: Sort of reverses the curve but in principle it would be a broad arc slicing weapon but it also can thrust with the double points.

Very Star Trek " LURPA-LIKE " weapon. ;) :lol:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=J5PgapzD6FoC&...D4L58AaEhO

From: A glossary of the construction, decoration, and use of arms and armor in all ... By George Cameron Stone

My wife is taking an Egyptology course this summer - it's a fan, minus the ostrich plumes. And yes, I have seen the Halloween costume prop like this that purports to be some kind of weapon. Very Stargate, IMO :lol: