CRESCENT SHAPED AXE HEAD OF ‘YUE’ DERIVATION

Description The blade has a broad semicircular edge with pointed tips at the ends, connected with sinuous curves to a square heel which in turn closes onto a long rectangular tang. At the center of the blade is a large round hole, near which the uniform thickness of the object increases on both faces: the molded edge of the hole is therefore equipped with a circular recess where an ornament was probably originally inserted. At the corners of the heel, towards the bottom of the blade, there are two rectangular holes that served to fix the axe to the handle: this also had to cover, at least in part, the tang behind it. The shape of this axe head follows that of traditional yue-type Shang blades, and was probably a ceremonial weapon.