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Mycenaean double-axe

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posted on 2022-08-09, 07:54 authored by Centre for Ancient Cultures MuseumCentre for Ancient Cultures Museum


Double axe in bronze with oval shaft hole. The cutting edges are in good condition, with signs of use. Although the surface was once a warm brown color, prolonged exposure to oxygen and mineral-rich environments has caused some corrosion and it is now covered with mottled-green patina. The double axe was an important symbol of the Minoans and Mycenaeans with distinctive features that represented power and authority, but was also used as a tool or weapon and is found in residential contexts.

Object number: 127.022.

Date: 13th–12th century B.C.

Parallels: New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art 07.232.12, 24.150.11, 26.31.483; compare with London, British Museum 1897,0401.1467.

References: Briggs, C. S. "Double Axe Doubts", Antiquity, vol. 47, no. 188, 1973, pp. 318; Rouse, W. H. D. “The Double Axe and the Labyrinth”, The Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. 21, 1901, pp. 268–274; Harding, A., “Mycenaean Greece and Europe: the Evidence of Bronze Tools and Implements”, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, vol. 41, 1975, pp. 183–202; Blackwell, N. G., “Contextualizing Mycenaean Hoards: Metal Control on the Greek Mainland at the End of the Bronze Age”, American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 122, no. 4, 2018, pp. 509–39.

Photo by Steve Morton

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