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LOT 1426
Viking Age Iron Bearded Axehead
11TH-13TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/2 in. (602 grams, 16.5 cm).
Finno-Ugrian with curved blade, swept rear edge, square chin, socket with downwards flanged sides. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1971-1972.
From the collection of the vendor's father.
Property of a London, UK, collector.
Cf. Sedov, B.B., Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhi Srednevekovija, Moscow, 1987, pl.XCII, item 16.
FootnotesThis type of bearded axe seems to correspond to the category of Eastern Axes inside the Viking axe classification. Usually these bearded axeheads (skeggöks) had a longer edge, designed to split tree trunks into planks and beams. Some of the bearded axes were known as halfÞynna öx; the neck on such 'half thin axe' was thinly forged, to make it lighter. Bearded axes of this type appear also in the weaponry of people from the Baltic.
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Composed of a round-section hoop with decoratively twisted wire collars, graduated bulbs adorned with granules. 11.4 grams, 35 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. -
Pre-Viking Bronze Twisted Torc
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Viking Period Rus Silver Temple Earring Pair
10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Each composed of a decoratively twisted upper hoop, bulbous collars and a large central bulb with projecting cones and granules. 30 grams total, 55-57 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
This style of earring was typical among Slavic women in the 8th-12th centuries, an imitation of Eastern Roman models. Examples have been found in Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia, and with similar decoration in Belarus. Such rings were also worn as part of head-dresses, in which context they are known as ‘temple rings’ because they were worn by women near the temples. They were usually made of base metals, but some silver and gold examples also survive. Different tribes had their own designs, which were often threaded onto a cord, forming part of a head-dress, or woven directly into braids of hair.
