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"204623","NCL-B6FFC6","001477B7416012CF","Axe","","","373","","82","14","","1","","","MODERN","1850","1950","A copper axe of African make dating to the mid 19th to early 20th century.

The axe has two parts, a hammered blade and a hammered haft.

The blade is basically triangular in plan, but with the apex thickening into a square-sectioned stem that is set in the haft.  The edge is convex, but it was never finished to function as a cutting edge, and has suffered damage so that it looks like a wave in section.  Hammer marks are visible on all faces of the blade.

The haft is circular in section with a thickened head to take the weight and attachment of the blade.  The haft has been decorated in such a fashion as to emulate the tecture of a wooden haft.

The object would not have functioned well as a usefool tool, and it was probably a ceremonial axe or prestige item.  

Christopher Spring of the British Museum has indicated that this type of axe was typically for ceremony or display.  It's form is not that distinctive, with similar types common in the western, central, and southern regions of Africa.  However, given that the axe is entirely fashioned from copper, it is probable that the axe originally came from the Copper Belt region of Zambia.

This object probably made its way to Britain in the bags of a tourist, colonist, or official that worked in Zambia during the course of the British Empire.","","","2008-01-02 11:23:02","2011-02-24 13:47:52","4","0","1","2007-07-01","","","","","1","1","1","1","1","","","","","rcollins","Robert Collins","NCL","dpett","Daniel Pett","Copper alloy","","","","Struck or hammered","","Complete","","Certain","MODERN","MODERN","","Building work","","Dr Robert Collins","","Dr Robert Collins","NORTHUMBERLAND","WIDDRINGTON","CASTLE MORPETH","","","","NZ2595","NZ4259","NZ29NE","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","","160065","weird axe.jpg","images/rcollins/",