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Axe (weapon): O.110-1879

Object information

Current Location: Gallery 31 (Armoury)

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

The blade is large and crescent shaped with a central dip, and attached by a rivet with a petalled copper washer with a narrow but solid socket for the haft, forged with a medial ridge around the rear. The haft is of wood, reinforced at the junction with the blade with three iron strips, the out two twisted, at the front, bound on with leather thongs, and an iron plate with a dagged top at the rear. Above the blade is a copper alloy ferrule, decorated with geometrical ornament, and a small iron top spike. At the bottom of the haft is another section bound with leather thongs

Legal notes

Given by Robert Taylor, MA

Measurements and weight

Blade Length: 42.8 cm
Overall Length: 123.2 cm
Weight: 1270 g

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1879) by Taylor, Robert, MA

Dating

19th Century
Circa 1800 CE - 1879 CE

Note

A fighting axe used by the Bygas, a tribe of central India. According to reports this type of axe could be used to kill tigers and could also be thrown to catch small mammals.

Exactly like Royal Armouries XXVIC.20 (Richardson 2007: 4). Taylor’s printed list calls these ‘kolhan strangi’, an otherwise unattested term

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 110
  • Method of creation: Inscribed
  • Type: Tag

Inscription present: attached

  • Text: 110
  • Method of creation: Printed
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: O.110-1879
Primary reference Number: 158425
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Wednesday 12 May 2021 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Axe (weapon)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/158425 Accessed: 2024-11-08 01:53:46

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/158425 |title=Axe (weapon) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-08 01:53:46|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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