Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1637
Viking Age Iron Socketted Bearded Axehead
CIRCA 10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
6 7/8 in. (788 grams, 17.5 cm).
With slender ridged blade and chin to the lower edge, round socket with rectangular flanges, flattened rear edge; professionally cleaned, conserved, and restored. [No Reserve]
Provenance
From the family collection of a South East London collector; formerly acquired in the late 1950s.
Literature
Cf. Hjardar, K. & Vike, V., Vikings at war, Oxford-Philadelphia, 2016, p.163Y, for typology, and p.164, for discussion.
Footnotes
The type appears to be related to the Y-type of Viking axes. Slavic battle-axes also came into use in Scandinavia, especially in the eastern part of Gotland, Sweden and Denmark. The old Norse word Taparöx probably come from Topor, the Slavic word for axe. Eastern axes are also characterised by an almost completely round hole for the shaft.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
'The Bradbourne Horses' Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Ringerike Stirrup Apex Mount
1000-1100 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Rectangular mount with flange to each side of the reverse at the base, two mounting holes; upper edge formed as two addorsed horse-heads and median pierce lug; shallow incised line following the outer edges of the heads and necks, with suggestion of a bridle; Ringerike style. 47 grams, 53 mm
Found whilst searching with a metal detector in Bradbourne, Derbyshire Dales, East Midlands, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.WMID-793298.
The sub-rectangular shape of this strap mount is similar to that of a Williams Class C, Type 2, although it is unusual in having the flanges on the sides as opposed to the base. The British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) states: 'This is a find of note and has been designated: County / local importance'. -
.jpg)
Viking Silver Elfshot Pendant with Stone Arrowhead
9th-11th century A.D. and earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £572
An amulet with a silver cap securing an arrow-shaped flint insert. 2.43 grams, 34 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
This amulet was believed to offer protection against 'Elfshot'. The attack of elves was believed responsible for mysterious suffering in men and livestock: sudden shooting pains localised to a particular area of the body, such as in rheumatism, arthritis, or muscle stitches or cramps. Elves were thought to shoot darts or arrows where such pains had no obvious external cause. Belief in elfshot persisted into the 20th century in rural areas, and as proof, country folk would sometimes find small arrowheads (the remains of Neolithic or Mesolithic flints, or naturally-occurring spear-shaped stones) that were believed to be the magical weapons that caused the afflictions. Belief in elfshot began in the Pagan Germanic period. -
Viking Bronze Strap End with Bear's Heads
11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Bifacial strap end comprising slot flanked by two D-section bear-head panels each with rivets through the ears; ribbed collar developing to a flared cone, narrow waist and biconvex finial. 11.04 grams, 40 mm
Ex Lincolnshire, UK, collection, 1990s.
