VIKING IRON BATTLE BEARDED AXE ON STAND

c. 900-1100 AD. Viking age. An excellent example of an iron bearded axehead with a heavy curved blade, a round socket and rectangular flanges. A circular suspension hole in the central part of the head may have allowed for easy transportation. The item is mounted on a custom-made stand. The bearded axe, or Skeggøx (from Old Norse Skegg, "beard", and øx, "axe") was common from the 6th century AD onwards in Scandinavia, but made most famous by the Vikings, who used these axes in battle to terrible effect. Bearded axes are named for the fact that the main part of the axe blade extends below the butt of the axe, creating a large cutting blade and allowing a fighter to hook onto the shields or weapons of his (or her) opponents. Further information on axes of this type can be found in H. Arbman, Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940. Excellent condition. Size: H:135mm/L:110mm/H:90mm; 320g. Provenance: From an old British collection formed in the 1990s; previously acquired in Germany.