”Yue” tang axehead

Description The flat, undecorated yue axehead consists of the blade and tang. The blade is square, wider on the side of the wire which is convex, with rounded corners and not at all sharp. In the center, shifted toward the tang, is a perfectly round hole. The blade ends with a perpendicular relief protection, which is extended with two small protrusions at the ends. The rectangular tang is provided with a small notch in the lower outer corner, and a quadrangular hole is located in the middle. The handle, which has not been preserved, had to rest against the element in relief between the tang and the blade: some laces passed through the two holes, and the notch at the end also had to serve to complete the fixing. This axehead form has been attested since the 13th century BCE and is also found in specimens carved from jade.