In late December I purchased Dan Howard's excellent book Bronze Age Military Equipment and became intrigued by Bronze age weapons. After lusting after Neil Burridge's work I stumbled across a classified for the duckbill axe made by our own Jeroen Zuiderwijk. It seemed like it would be a unique piece to own so I decided to wait on buying from Neil (I will do it one day!) and contacted Jeroen about his axe. He hafted it for me and it arrived this afternoon. It is a big departure from my usual interests, but I really like it! Jeroen included a nice note with more information about the axe and its materials;

Quote:

Some information: the blade is made from an alloy of copper and ~13% tin. The edge is work hardened. The haft is ash, and treated with linseed oil. The leather is made by a colleage and is naturally tanned.

A few questions--is there a definitive or standard source that provides an in-depth discussion of this type of axe? Is this axe type depicted in ancient art? Was its use limited to the Levant or was its use a bit more widespread?

Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to offer! (I will cross post this in a few places to cast a wide net.) I have attached a few hasty phone pics of the axe in hand, with some lovely Wisconsin snow in the background.

Thanks again,
Jonathan

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I want to add that I am very happy with the axe. It is extremely well made and hafted, and I would recommend Jeroen and his work to anyone interested in a quality Bronze Age replica.

I don't know anything about these but I saw this one at the Castlerock Museum in Alma, WI (an excellent museum by the way. No glass!)

I have a ton of photos from there I haven't processed yet, I'll get around to uploading them eventually...

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That is great to know! I will have to take a field trip to Alma this summer.

Another one, from Tell Kabri (north-west Israel): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons..._Kabri.png

There is a famous wall painting from the Beni Hasan tombs in Egypt, showing a caravan of Hyksos or Semites. The first person on the lower left appears to be carrying some sort of an axe, usually referred to as the only period depiction of a Duck-bill axe, but this may well be an Egyptian tanged axe.
http://edoc3.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/lepsius/...041330.jpg

Dan and Sa'ar,
Thank you for your very helpful responses. The Beni Hasan image is fantastic!

Jonathan

I forgot to add these stats provided by Jeroen-- the axe head is 12 cm long, and weighs 400 grams.

Dan,
Do you think it is more likely a tanged axe as Sa'ar mentioned above?

Thank you,
Jonathan

No idea. Look at the hand grip; what is that projection below his fist?

I think that is what is being interpreted as the duckbill axe head, with the dark end perhaps being a wrapped swollen grip(?).

Dan, as I wrote in my last line, I doubt myself it is actually a Duck-bill. The actual mural is in bad condition and the reconstruction as appears in the link provided, was made by Champollion, at the dawn of archaeology.
Jonathan, the head is to the left, the canted grip is to the right. Since the depiction of other weapons in this mural (and other murals from that grave) is pretty accurate, I think it is highly likely to be some sort of an axe.

[quote="Dan Howard"]

Sa'ar Nudel wrote:

My favourite is the spotted Sumerian cloaks being interpreted as leather studded with bronze discs.

Hey, I liked that one... Long ago there was an Ancient Civilizations display here in the Smithsonian--trying to remember if parts of it are still there or what. Anyway, the Sumerian section had a pair of soldier mannikins with leather cloaks with bronze discs, in the classic interpretation. Plus an old guy smelting copper! And a goat, as I recall.

Whatever! Cool axe, yes!!

Matthew

Sa'ar,
Thanks again. That is how I was seeing the axe, too. I appreciate your input on the mural.

Jonathan