Northern Europe, Late Bronze Age (Celtic), ca. 800 to 500 BCE. An excellently-preserved example of a cast bronze axe head. The head is socketed, with a rectangular opening for a handle. The blade has two long, cast, shallow grooves on each side. There is a slight collar around the socket, and two fastening loops, one on either short side of the blade, that would have helped affix the axe head to its wooden handle. The double loop is somewhat unusual, as a single loop is much more common, but there was a wide range of individual styles during this time period. The hollow socket was a technological innovation, allowing economical use of bronze while still making a strong weapon. Size: 1.55" L x 5.4" W x 3.2" H (3.9 cm x 13.7 cm x 8.1 cm); 4.55" H (11.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Weapons like this one were found at large hill forts, new places in the late Bronze Age landscape that dominated the area around them. These were not forts as we understand them today, but instead large, enclosed spaces, usually located on prominent topographical features, and they represent a dramatic change in northern European prehistory - they were the form of urban settlements of their day, housing up to 1000 people, in contrast to the much smaller communities (often less than 50 people) that populated the landscape elsewhere. Weaponry like this axe head give us clues about the evolving nature of Bronze Age society, setting the stage for the more complex Iron Age.

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection

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#127696

Dark patina on surface. Excellent form.