VIKING PERIOD IRON BATTLE AXE

c. 900-1100 AD. Viking age. An iron bearded axe head with a curved blade, round socket and secondary pick-shaped head. 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. The pick may have served for cutting or may belie the fact that axes were used by the Vikings both in war or as tools. Further information on Viking axes can be found in Petersen, Jan (1919). De Norske Vikingesverd. Kristiania, but please note that the secondary head is an uncommon variant not known at the time of that publication.. Good condition; on a custom made stand. Size: H:125mm/L:235mm/H:80mm (without stand); 502g. Provenance: From the private collection of an Essex gentleman; previously in an old British Collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / European art markets.