Ax head

Middle Kingdom–Early New Kingdom

ca. 1981–1550 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 109

"Duckbill-shaped" axes like this one were produced primarily in Syria-Palestine during the Middle Bronze Age IIA phase, which is roughly contemporaneous with the 12th Dynasty in Egypt. They are attested throughout the eastern Mediterranean world from Anatolia in the north to the Nile Delta in the south. An ax head very similar to this one, for example, was found in a tomb in the late 12th Dynasty stratum at Tell el-Daba (ancient Avaris) in the delta, where many Asiatic people settled during the Middle Kingdom and later established the capital city of the Hyksos Dynasty. Instead of having a series of small binding-holes like a typical Egyptian ax, this Asiatic type has a large socket to receive the haft. Its cutting edge is much smaller than that of its Egyptian counterpart due to its narrow shape, but the force generated by swinging this hefty ax would have been so focused that a single blow might have proven lethal, especially since armor and helmets were apparently unknown to Egyptian soldiers until the New Kingdom.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Ax head
Period: Middle Kingdom–Early New Kingdom
Dynasty: Dynasty 12–18
Date: ca. 1981–1550 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Bronze or copper alloy
Dimensions: H. 5.1 cm (2 in.); W. 10.9 cm (4 5/16 in.); D. 2 cm (13/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Elisha Dyer, in memory of George R. Dyer, 1941
Object Number: 41.6.9
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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