The Proto-Indo-European word for "axe" may have been pelek'u- ( Greek pelekus πέλεκυς, Sanskrit parashu, see also Parashurama), but the word was probably a loan, or a neolithic wanderwort, ultimately related to Sumerian balag, Akkadian pilaku- (see also Labrys). Axes also were an important part in the Chinese weaponry. The so-called " Battle-axe people" of 3rd millennium BC Europe has been suggested to correspond to early Proto-Indo-Europeans, ancestors of the later Celtic and Germanic tribes. The flat axe developed into palstaves, flanged axes and later winged and socketed axes. Bronze axes are found since the early Bronze Age (A2). (Modern comparison: 25 cm softwood white pine, standing chop, under two minutes with a 3.5 kg competition felling axe.)įrom the late Neolithic onwards ( Pfyn-Altheim cultures) flat axes were made of copper or copper mixed with Arsenic. Stone axes are quite efficient tools using one, it takes about 10 minutes to fell a hardwood ash tree of 10 cm diameter, one to two hours for an ash of 30 cm diameter. In Scandinavia, Northern Germany and Poland axe blades made from knapped and polished flint were common. This allowed a more efficient use of the raw material. By late Neolithic times, sawing (wooden saws and sand) became common. The earlier Neolithic axe blades were made by first knapping and then grinding a stone. This prevented both the splitting of the haft and softened the impact on the stone blade itself. Since the late Neolithic ( Michelsberg culture, Cortaillod culture) very small axe blades of a rectangular shape became common. Birch-tar and raw- hide lashings were used to fix the blade. Few wooden hafts have been found, but it seems that the axe was normally hafted by wedging. They were used to fell trees and for woodworking. Axes made from ground stone are known since the Neolithic. Chopping tools made from flint were hafted as adzes. 6000 BC), where axes made from antler were used that continued to be utilized in the Neolithic in some areas. The first true hafted axes are known from the Mesolithic period (ca. Hatchets tend to be small hafted axes often with a hammer on the back side.Įarly stone tools like the hand axe were probably not hafted. Hafted axes with short handles designed for use with one hand are often called hand axes but the term hand axe refers to axes without handles as well. Modern axes are specialized by use, size and form. Most modern axes have steel heads and wooden handles (typically hickory) although plastic or fibreglass handles are not uncommon. It spilts the wood into two parts by the pression. This reduces the effort needed by the wood chopper. The axe is an example of a simple machine, as it is a type of wedge, or dual inclined plane. Axes made of copper, bronze, iron and steel appeared as these technologies developed. The earliest examples of axes have heads of stone with some form of wooden handle attached (hafted) in a method to suit the available materials and use. The axe has many forms and specialized uses but generally consists of an axe head with a handle, or helve. The axe is an ancient and ubiquitous tool that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, harvest timber, as a weapon and a ceremonial or heraldic symbol.
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