Ancient Anglo Saxon Battle Axe With Hammer Poll

[Uath]

Let this put to sleep that the axe/hammer tomahawk appeared after the discovery of the Americas. Here's an example traced back to the Saxon invasion (probably 5th century AD). This example is in the British museum. I'm trying to find a verified date for it:

I'd also love to find a size and weight description. The axe is super interesting. Obviously designed for war. I can't believe the wood handle is also that old, but who knows.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

Very interesting war hatchet. So that is a flat square hammer on the rear? You are right about that haft looking very good for being in the dirt for around 500 years?

From my limited study of these one hand weapons. It will weight in at about 2.2 lb or 1 kilo in weight. That's about where these weapons will weight in from all around the world and through time.

let us know if you find more information.

 

[Wolf_1989]

Let this put to sleep that the axe/hammer tomahawk appeared after the discovery of the Americas. Here's an example traced back to the Saxon invasion (probably 5th century AD). This example is in the British museum. I'm trying to find a verified date for it:

We know from the Vikings that striking someone with your "axe-hammer" instead of the cutting bit was a serious insult. It's essentially saying they weren't worth killing.

 

[FSCJedi]

Cool piece of history there. I've NEVER heard that the tomahawk-axe/hammer combo was an Americas thing, though. Same with spike axes. I DO know, however, that the PIPE tomahawk is a uniquely American weapon.

 

[tirod3]

I was gifted a copy of "Knives and Swords, a Visual History" last Christmas, and it has pictures of Egyptian battle axes. Here's a link to similar ones: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/edgedweapons.htm

They've been around a long time - the practice of binding a suitable piece of stone to a handle was simply improved on with a metal bit.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

It could be the mistaken idea of the poll being an American invention is getting wrongly propagated by this US Forest Service character in the video series "An Axe to Grind" where he tries to pass this story off. Once again proving it is always a good idea to check the facts to any claim no matter how legitimate a source may appear - assuming you give this particular source any credibility, which may not be so anyways, in which case you would be safer.

E.DB.

 

[tirod3]

The US Forest Service isn't the Smithsonian. I think we'd all prefer to stick to sources with more expertise and provenance in the edged tool section of anthropology. And even that is problematic, as speculation is rife to promote new theories which lead to new funding and grants to explore the "new" knowledge.

If we know anything about edged tools, there is pretty much nothing new. We just keep combining the same stuff in different ways, or find new uses for old designs.