Viking Age Iron T-Shaped Axehead

10TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.

6 3/4 in. (588 grams, 17 cm).

Narrow T-shaped blade with curved edge, large D-shaped socket with lateral triangular flanges and rectangular extension to the rear. [No Reserve]

Provenance

From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.

Published

Exhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 19th June-9th September 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefact on display.

Literature

Cf. Sedov, B.B., Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhi Srednevekovija, Moscow, 1987, pl.CX, items 41,43, for the type; see also Hjardar, K. & Vike, V., Vikings at war, Oxford-Philadelphia, 2016, p.163, for the typology of eastern axes.

Footnotes

Slavic battle-axes also came into use in Scandinavia, especially in the Eastern part of Gotland, Denmark and Sweden. One of the types was a T-shaped axe with a broad blade. There were narrow-bladed types too, described as being very light. Another characteristic of some of the Eastern axes was an extra long hammer or more rarely a secondary blade protruding from the back of axehead.

CONDITION

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