I know this is a extremely late response and will probably go unnoticed but another small possibility is that it is used as a shield wall braking tool. That one or a few could be driven into a section of the shield wall and then pulled by a rope attached to the lanyard to brake open a section to be exploited by a elite few to drive a wedge into the broken section of the wall. The total weight of the instrument would also bring down the shield making the apposing soldier extremely vulnerable. Wishing you all well.
I also thought the same thing! If the opposition had spears between the shields it could be thrown and just against a shield wall would be effective in causing a breach
Personally I would see how it would work as a wood splitter. Splitting timber from end to end using the axe against the wood and the blunt end is for striking the axe with a heavy hammer. Here the metal shaft may come to use as the constant strikes from a sledgehammer onto the axe may (No expert here) wear a wooden shaft down quite fast. In such a use the weight and balance of the item is essentially irrelevant as it itself is never used for striking anything.
So, suppose you consider the place of burial. In a ship. I suspect this was a shipbuilding tool. Perhaps a side for fine hewing (with the square grip choked way up, and the back hand helping to lever), and a side for hammering wedges or spikes. This would explain the cruder "blacksmith made" construction, as they may have been produced on-site when building ships... Just a theory.
there's a difference between something produced by a village blacksmith, and something produced by the armories/workshops of a person of wealth. Items made on site would also be a good deal more crude.
i have a very basic theory just based on the form and the metal haft. i will preface this by saying that i am a blacksmith and have been for 5 years but it looks almost identical to my hot set. So my guess would be that it is a tool used for cutting large pieces of metal with the smith holding the tool and another holding the metal and then a third swinging a sledge. It would explain the metal handle as wooden ones have a tendancey to become very loose in short order due to drying and catching light. with cutting larger pieces for example large smelted blooms from the furnace. The only problem is i can see no reason why it would be found in the burial.
But as far as I can tell the original is pretty undamaged at the hammer end which wouldn't be the case if it would have been stroked with metal sledge hammers regularly and the curved design isn't very good for transferring energy in a straight line to the hot iron under it.
It looks to me like a log splitter. Place the blade over the end grain, have a man with a sledgehammer strike the hammer end. This would allow precise splitting of logs for a ship's timbers, for example. The metal shaft saves the tool if the striker misses his mark and hits the handle. It could be that the tool isn't intentionally part of the gave, but was left in the ship by accident by one of its builders, which would explain why it appears to be much cruder than the rest of the grave goods.
I doubt it. The curve to the head wouldn't be there for that use, and the solid iron shaft would make it an awful tool to use for that purpose. Really uncomfortable and jarring. But who really knows.
The curved blade and the curved head would make the thing drift in any direction but you want it to go while sledging it. For splitting wood you want a straight or at least somewhat symmetrical blade design
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this idea, but to me that hammer/axe is a symbol for Mjolnir. That which pulverizes to dust! I think it's a symbol from that old time religion. This is a great series Matt!
Here's a different suggestion: it might have been used for underwater maintenance. Hold the long shaft from the railing, the flat side minimizes water-resistance, the metal-weight gives it good impact and the lack of wood means that the head will not work its way off from repeated wetting and drying. You can even tie it to the ship via the cord in the end. Thanks for a ton of good shows mate.
Torc Handsomeson Could be, but then why have the very long 'handle' and why have the sharp axe head part? + where most of the anchors in that time not made of stone rather than more expensive and rusting iron?
as an other member mentioned ,i also believe that it is a wood splitter. that was the first thing came to my mind and actually makes sense. a wrong hit with a heavy hammer and the wooden shaft goes... the longer shaft also helps for better handling of the tool from distance without kneeling and keep hands and forearms out of danger.
Looks to me like an all-in-1 shipwrights tool for clinker boat construction. The Axe head could be used for cutting and shaping timbers. The blunt head is perfect for hammering wedges in order to split logs into planks and also to secure the planks together with nails or rivets. Finally the ring on the base combined with the levering action of the long iron handle would be useful for tightening knots and rigging.
So we've got two sets of people suggesting similar applications: splitting maul and hot cutter. This would explain the 'hammer head' (really a surface for a hammer to hit), and the metal shaft (because sooner or later someone misses and a wooden shaft would get cracked/splintered). The shaft is to keep your hands away from those hammer blows which we've established can sometimes miss. If it's for splitting wood, could the metal handle also be used for prying/wrenching, like a fro?
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Well, we should never disregard the idea that a blacksmith had an idea that was original and put it to work and this went out : a poleaxe with iron shaft. The section seems to have been studied by it's creator : from round section to rectangular section. To win weight because it was too heavy ? I don't know, but the guy who ordered it could have lost several wood shafts and didn't want to be bothered by that anymore. Anyway, the question is : what was it doing in a king's tomb-ship ? Was there any remains of animals, like a horse or a cow ? Could have been used to execute the horse if there was one, and stayed on site afterward.
Matt, years ago I had a small hand sledge hammer that I used at work that that a friend of mine who was an ironworker made for me. it was made of a 9" x 7/8 inch steel bar welded to a 3 lb. hammer head. It was not ant better at its job than one that i could have bought, but it was singular to me & i could identify it from all the hand sledges that might be used at the job site instantly. I think your pollax is just what it appears to be, and was made by a craftsman for his own use. anyway that's my guess. Thank-you, Dante.
I was a welder for over a year and we always took off the wooden handles and replaced them with metal ones. One, because we could and was accessible. Two, because you didn't have to worry about broken handles. So if you were using it all the time and didn't want to worry about it breaking you could replace the handle with a metal one and it's safe generally for the life of the user. As long as it is oiled with high carbon steel. But i agree in battle they would prefer a wooden handle over a metal because of the weight.
It's very similar to tools used on shipboard today even on modern ships. Multi-use demo tools are very useful for many things, I;d guess that's an early example.
My explanation for the metal bar would be some kind of tool, that is also meant to be able to pry open stuff. The "axe-head" could be rather a wedge, that is hammered into a tree(?), that was meant to be split, then the "grip" could be used as a massive lever, to apply massive force, possibly from multiple people at once, or even supported by hammer blows to the part closer to the edge.. A treatment, that a wooden shaft probably wouldn't endure for long. The grave itself was in a ship after all, so maybe this was a ship carpenter's tool to be able to quickly produce some improvised planks from locally found trees, when no well-provisioned harbor was near.
Ideas so far 1 - Ceremonial weapon 2 - Tool 3 - A blacksmith experiment 4 - Some kind of "test you skill as blacksmith" as an exercise or a local blacksmith tournament to show off the one that has the best skills and get more customers.
Boat Anchor, look at the Roman ones from when they had conquered the area and were there 200 years earlier sure the handles were wood but it looks like those. Also some modern boats use a similar anchor that looks like a modified prybar with a Y shaped device for grabbing onto the rocks or something.
To one who has done quite a bit of timber framing and green-woodworking, that looks like a rail-splitting wedge with an attached handle. The thinner, rectangular area of the handle makes a lot of sense, seen from this perspective. This would prevent the tool from becoming bound up in the cut/split. You could use this, accompanied by a series of wooden wedges, to split some very broad beams and planks! To a people who depend upon sea-fairing ships, such a tool would probably be seen as a great treasure. Especially if it were the first of it's kind. Maybe someone was especially proud of this invention..
Matt, I remember reading a book from my school library. I believe the title was Bretwalda and it was a fictional story about a Saxon who became a hero against Danish invaders. He had an axe with a steel handle. I have to wonder if the author didn't use this axe as the inspiration for that part of his story.
I would agree that this axe-hammer is most likely a tool. Reading up a little on it, it was buried by his legs rather than by his upper body (with the other weapons). As for it all being metal. I might suggest that it was a fashion or status choice. I would imagine that an all iron shaft would be more expensive to make and that it would set this axe apart from everyone else's. I could imagine that the axe would look rather impressive to the people of the time, despite it being a bit impractical..
To me it looks like an all purpose tool, that you would take with you on a ship. And use it as a crowbar, sledgehammer, woodcutting axe, and other things maybe? edit: A bit like a fireman's axe.
Reminds me of a roman dolabra. "The dolabra could serve as a pickaxe used by miners and excavators, a priest's implement for ritual religious slaughtering of animals and as an entrenching tool"
That seems awfully well built to be ceremonial, most ceremonial weapons give off the appearance to being sturdy , but in reality aren't. I mean that's a lot of metal for something they could have easily made out of wood. My guess is that it's some kind of maul, or other tool used in ship repair, but that doesn't really explain why the shaft is made of metal.
The poleaxe theory sounds reasonable, but might this particular one not have been either ceremonial or symbolic? Perhaps even made specifically for the burial? I would think that much steel, in a tool, would have been rather costly at the time.
My nan (well my mums nan) had one of those axes, obviously from a totally different period, and possibly shorter. From what I recall it was a hearth axe. However she died when I was eight maybe and so Its very possible that I just find it reminiscent of a childhood memory.
The rounded to flat shaft is what interests me. The only reason I can think of for that is if you were to miss with the head (axe/hammer) of the weapon, that flat iron, on the thin side, would've been excellent for breaking bones. Not saying rounded iron wouldn't be just as vicious, just trying to think of a reason it's made that way. Neat object, would love to know it's true purpose.
Krashlandon And I must say, we've many tools about the farm that have acquired metal shafts for various reasons and would like to point out that once that rake or fork has a metal shaft it keeps it, forever. There's a metal handle (pipe) rake my Granddad slapped together as a repair in the 50's that we still use, gawd I hate it but it's still around.
I like these two later presentations! Good Job! btw. That implement might be used as a farming tool. Maybe dragged behind an animal to plow a field. It is made of iron because it is low maintenance and was supposed to last for generations. That doesn't quite explain the axe or hammer-side, but maybe the reconstruction went wrong.
Log splitter sounds good to me. Useful for boat and fort building. As said here by others, a metal shaft protects the tool from misplaced hammer hits, but also from tortional stresses where wood would wear. Imagine an axe head repeatedly driven hard into wood - you either work the handle up and down to free it, or sideways to widen the split. A wood shaft will wear pretty quickly doing that all day. In a weapon though, the stresses are very different and not as high. This is why some tools have metal instead of wooden shafts. Weapons generally need to be lighter and if damage is an issue, languettes are preferable to solid metal.
That axe could have been used specifically for either ship building (because it was a ship burial) or for sea combat of some kind, a boarding axe/grapple. The ring for a line on the end would be explained at that point. Just my two cents.
Aside from possible tool uses like log splitting or animal killing, one possibility when you analyze it from a religious perspective is that it could be representative of the Anglo-Saxon god Thunor (similar to Norse Thor) whose symbol is famously the hammer. But we do have mention in at least one Anglo-Saxon source of Thunor wielding a fiery axe, and earlier Nordic/Germanic petroglyphic art possibly depicting some earlier variation of Thor wielding an axe. With this in mind, there are a few finds in Anglo-Saxon burials of small pendants, similar in general appearance to Norse "mjolnir" pendants, but with notably longer, more slender handles (an example of this style of pendant is the "Gilton Hammer" found in Kent). It's not actually 100% certain that these pendants are always hammers - the assumption was largely made because of the association with Thor. It's entirely possible that these are axes, hammers, or both. What we do know is that they are found in Anglo-Saxon graves and may be some form of spiritual protection or charm. And while the shape of these pendants isn't an exact 1:1 match for the Sutton Hoo axe-hammer, the long and slender haft capped by a ring on one side and double heads on the other at least presents a possibility that this is some similar custom. This axe-hammer may have had some religious significance as a sacrificial implement or a protective talisman associated with Thunor or some other pagan god.
Maybe it is a tool for some kind of builder/carpenter/worker. Or maybe a miner, the hammer used to break hard rock and stone or to plant nails, and when used like that you could handle it far from the head without worrying about edge alignement (thus the round shaft in the lower half), while the axe head can be used for finer work, like wood shaping, for that you would need edge alignemet (rectangular part of the shaft) and not as much raw power (thus hold it nearer the head, with less leverage) but more precision (again obtainable by holding it near the head). I could imagine a tool like that being used to build ships (like the burial site itself). Anyway very interesting video Matt, thanks to you and to Paul
Its a spoke for a gigantic axe-wheel. The rectangular section is what fits into the felloes, with the axe head sticking out. The ring is to secure it to the hub. Several of these are buried around the world, when all are discovered the axe-wheel will return! The rectangular part of the shaft does make me feel like maybe its only part of something larger. Maybe some sort of tool? Maybe a tool used to build the boat? I can see wooden fittings interacting with that part of the shaft somehow maybe as some sort of planing device or splitting machine.
What are the chances that this is a board-splitting axe-hammer? The square bit of the shaft could be used to pound with a maul and wedge about a tough bit of oak, etc. to split out a knee-spar for the boat builders. To my carpenter's eye, it looks more like a tool designed for a really thick log than a weapon.
Maybe it was just to test if this kind of weapon would be practical, or perhaps it was just a ceremonial tool made only for the purpose of looking good.
Thanks for the video I never seen this before and I agree the helmets / weapons of the time were works of art and this look very rustic and the head dose look like a tomahawk the long iron handle didn't lend its self for tomahawk uses btw I don't clam to be a hema expert I feel the the tomahawk as we know it evolved from the Francisca some of the ppl I tell this to have a problem with it and I would enjoy your opinion
It makes total sense to me that the pole-axe would have early predecessors, especially in the context of a kingly type person who may be fighting other highly armored opponents for his time. Even if it wasn't plate.
I think it's a splitting maul. The hammer part adds weight, and you could use it to hammer sometime like tent pegs. It's also light enough to be used like a regular axe, it doesn't look like a super heavy maul. It may have religious significance. I also could see it being used to just clobber and chop up animals. Looks like the small hammer would help you dig deep to break stone if you had a mind to. I think the shaft being made of metal was to help it from breaking from repeated hits or misses, plus more mass helps it hit harder. If it's a weapon, it's for dealing with those "full plate" armored Gauls the Roman sources describe, who were finally dealt with using camp pick axes. Very much a niche thing. The forward curved hammer part resembles Japanese swordsmith hammers I've seen. I think it's a tool meant to do almost everything under the sun or as much as possible, sort of like a machete or multi tool. And by just making it all out of iron, you make it "abuseable" because it just won't break, so you can use it for ackward tasks that might break lighter but more precise and easy to use tools.
Great video, interesting topic as always! Also I propose, we should buy Matt a small kitchen scale, so he can bust out that bad boy and measure the swords/axes/etc. he's showing us during the video.
scholagladiatoria Put one onto the nice piece of furniture behind you, and you can cover it up with the buckler, if you want to keep the feng shui of the room intact. :)
scholagladiatoria Also, you can insert comments after making a video, so if you forgot to weigh the sword/axe/whatever you can do it after making the video and adding it in post production.
I wonder if this might be a specialized shieldwall-breaking weapon. It's weight and head design would impart an enormous amount of force when swung at a shield, especially if the wielder could aim his blow at the outer edge of the shield's face and torque it aside or even out of the wielder's grip altogether. Perhaps the idea was to turn the opponent's shield aside, allowing for a spear or sword-wielding partner standing close by (and in a long-practiced, well coordinated maneuver) to drive in and land a lethal strike onto the target. This might make sense if Raedwald was a true Warrior-King expected to lead from the front. He might have seen it as his job to personally take on the very center of the enemy battle line and break it as quickly and violently as possible. Starting the battle by knocking aside or breaking the shield of the enemy commander/champion, opening him up to then be killed or maimed in short order would certainly dampen the enthusiasm of the remaining enemy. The rounded part of the handle would have required forging to get that shape - suggesting they did it for a reason. Perhaps leather-wrapped for comfort and to give a bit of squishy grippiness - all the more important to be able to hang onto an immensely heavy weapon? The 'lanyard' ring might well be just that. The rectangular section near the top wasn't habitually gripped, and therefore no need to pretty up from forging, perhaps? Obviously the weapon's weight is a problem, but Matt himself often points out that we shouldn't judge historical fighters by our modern standards (or lack thereof) of fitness and strength. Raedwald might have been a big, ape-shouldered brute of a man who could wield this weapon more effectively than we judge ourselves capable of. Or at least capable of swinging it with enough speed and aggressiveness to accomplish what might have been a very specialized and brief task. He might well have only needed to manage one or two blows to do the job! After breaking open the shield-wall perhaps he would draw sword or axe and get down to the business of mopping up the survivors - with his mob of seriously 'heavy' mates close by doing just the same.
Could be the occupant of the grave was a blacksmith, maybe buried with his first project from years before, or a son's first project. Romantic guessing more than anything, there. Or a shipwright's tool left behind. I don't know a thing about Anglo Saxon shipbuilding, but I'm guessing it would serve decently for splitting small timbers, driving pegs or nails.
In my opinion, the hand loop at the end (I don't know the English word for it) points clearly to a weapon, as there is no reason to tie your tool/slaughter instrument to your wrist. On being blacksmith made (crude) - it's a war instrument, fancy engraved swords are for status as much as fighting, this was made solely to kill in battle. Iron shaft - maybe the owner wanted the extra durability, or got used to it
Was this carbon dated? It seems to me that rotating ring on the end was abit strange for that period? Looks like the head is old and someone made the rest to look the part.
Everything in the Sutton Hoo burial seems to be so big. I mean the shield is huge, the sword seems very broad for the time and the helmet is very, very heavy. So it makes one wonder if the person buried there was a very big fellow or if he just wanted to appear scary wearing huge stuff.
There´s only one possible reason for an iron shaft. To prevent shaft breakage. This would argue that there is some particular likeliehood of a shaft breaking during the intended use of this thing. Perhaps swinging an axe from a galloping horse there´s a good chance of missing the intended target with the head but instead catching it with the shaft? That might tend to cause your shaft to break. Alternatively, it could be intended to use on foot for battering shields down. With most edged weapons you are attempting to get around the shield, avoiding it as much as practical, but this thing might be a sort of personal seige engine, built to batter itś way directly through the defense. Again, a breakage-proof shaft might be an essential feature for such a weapon.
the edge geometry is good at splitting wood. and it has a hammer for building/camping/construction works...iron shaft is need for strength when used as boarding hook to drag enemy ship close for board. its an early idea of multipurpose tactical ax.
The entire time I was watching the video I was thinking it could be used as a imposing throwing axe that's weight and durability would preserve it for future battles, and would be less likely to be picked up and used by the opposing force. Predominantly the piercing shape of the axe head, it wasn't until the tomahawk comment that reinforced by presumption. Could it be that like the francisca used to disrupt the formation and render shields of null effect but unlike the francisca provide a less "bouncing" alternative even one that falls weighted heavy from above, like the bird and "cherub" while the francisca being the dragon coming from below (the ocean). Sorry for the wall of text, love the videos and keep up the great work.
I didn't know they knew how to shape iron shafts back then. And to shape it so that it could fit into the wedge of the hammer/axe head? Must have taken some incredible smithing.
If I remember right the idea of the poll axe as a butchering tool was used all the way up into the 20th century here in the U.S., and probably still in use on smaller farms to this day.
So I am wondering if it is meant to be heated up in a fire of some sort as a forge tool or ritual killing implement. I can't think of practical reason to have the metal handle except if the handle was meant to withstand fire.
Just a thought, but it reminds me of a variation of a ship builders adze. Split the logs into planks with the axe blade, hammer in metal pins with the hammer end and the metal shaft as a lever for maneuvering logs. Possibly.
I'm voting for shipwright tool, with second choice as sacrificial implement, the iron handle adding mass for smashing the more thickly-skulled animals (or people in pagan times). However the suggestion of boarding weapon is also interesting, in which case you'd want a handle not easily severed.
Ok, The ring on the handle is for a lanyard ,the lanyard will be attached to a belt or a saddle the axe is used on horseback ,with a swipe of the riders arm the lanyard is collected and the axe naturally comes to the riders grip. Try putting a pen knife in your pocket with a string attached to its end and tie the other end to a belt loop ,put the knife in your pocket and then use a swing of your arm to collect the string and see the knife end up in your palm!
Seems like you'd use it as a lever. Dig the axe in, hammer the back like a chizzle to get a good position and a metal shaft for strong levering action. What specifically you're working with I dont know.
For me it looks like a breaching tool: 1) looks very robust 2) it is heavy and impact seemed to be more important then agility 3) the buisness-end seems neither suited for destroying armor nor making gaping wounds, but to be durable 4) I have seen a modern tool similar to it for breaking doors and walls
A bit late to comment, but it doesn't look entirely dissimilar to something like an entrenching tool. Maybe it was used for earthwork on the tomb, and just happened to be left there accidentally? It is a bit of an off-the-wall idea, but it would explain the comparatively crude making, and maybe help explain why no others had been found.
The steel shaft should allow for faster recovery and allow for faster blows to be made over a traditional axe. My initial thought was to hack and hook apart a shield wall with repeated blows. Along the tool theory, I'd think it was more like a stationary tool with the square shaft able to be wedged and secured and possibly straddled to repair other items that were buried. In other words a mobile repair station.
Maybe it was a test subject or prototype. To test whatever the full metal tool/weapon was effective. Or it may be a creative art. I, myself, if I had the materials and shop, I'd make both metal and wooden shaft for my own enjoyment of making tools and weapons to add to my collection as well as to experiment it's qualities. I must say, it does look attractive to me. Or perhaps it was to train the muscles. By having heavier and more difficult material to utilize. You could train your blows to be different or stronger or even faster. Of course, there are other possibilities, but you wouldn't want me to go on forever about it. Lol
Shape-wise, this is quite similar to eastern steppe (Saka/Scythian) axes. Of course, they didn't have metal shafts and this head seems a bit heavier as well, but the proportions and shape of the head seem similar.
First thought that came to my mind looking at it was maybe it was made by an apprentice blacksmith or someone experimenting with designs. The King or who ever it was in the Burial-ship might have been interested in it so the maker simply left it with him.
I suspect that the all metal shaft is presumably related to the construction method of having a tang and washer way of fixing the head to the shaft, instead of the more usual method. Perhaps if someone could think of a convincing reason for having an axe held on by a peened tang, rather than a wedged socket type affair, it would solve the riddle of what this item is for. My own guess is that it's some ship-related tool, either for constructing/fixing boats, or for messing up enemy boats in early naval warfare, or if it is a weapon, rather than a tool, it's a specialised way of breaking apart a shield wall?
Reminds me of a hot cut set for smithing. But it is just weirdly familiar in many ways, none of which are consistent, which makes it such a mystery I guess. lol
I think its a tool for ship building. Try hammering with an axe it gets pretty dangerous. But not if the the shaft is longer. Note the curve on the top side profile, looks like it was designed to swing from the handle end close to a flat surface. Like an adz. FIts with a ship culture.
Have any pole-axes like this one been found in southern Sweden? I thought one theory of East -Anglia was that it was settled or partly settled by people from southern Sweden.
The world's first prototype. King thinks "Ohh, how i'd like a heavy hammer to just bash through all these shields while i'm on my horse. A bit like a polo mallett, but more axe-y. Make me one Mr. Blacksmith." Blacksmith comes back the next day "What like this mockup m' lorde?" The king keeps it to show off his exciting new invention, dies in the meantime, is buried with all his weapons, and nobody else knows what this new thing is so it just gets included in the burial. Solved.
Maybe this has been asked before, but i was wondering, are there reports of people comissioning blacksmiths to forge them weapons or tools to their liking, even though the weapon or tool itself would've been useless in battle, not by the decorations, but by the profile of the object itself ? Not that i think this one is one of these if they existedm but it made me ask myself if maybe sometime we can't explain objects because they were simply a extravagant object made simply to please its owner and nothing else.
It's for boarding actions. You attach a chain to the end and through it from one ship to another you wish to board. You have through the acks head through a sail an it would whap itself around the mast.
If it was to be used as a weapon, surely the round shaft would make edge alignment, to use either the hammer or the axe head, really difficult in combat. Even the axe you showed as an example of a more conventional weapon/tool had an oval shaped haft to aid edge alignment. The all metal construction would also be very slippery if was being used constantly, was there any evidence that the handle had been wrapped in leather (or some other material) to aid grip?
J Corbett Yes, edge alignment would be difficult with this object and there was no evidence of any organic covering on the iron shaft (where there is evidence of leather and wood on other metal objects from the burial - so if it was there, we would expect to see it).
Ben Kirkby You want the flattened section to be in your hand, the flatter part on that axe is a bar which would not be great to hold. Ideally you'd want something more of an oval I think at the wider cylindrical part where you hold it. I'm no expert, but to me at least it does seem more likely a tool and if they are right on who it was in the grave then burying him with a sacrificial tool might make sense.
It looks like a shipbuilding tool. Hammer for riveting and blade for squaring, shaping, and flattening. Do we know if the "axe like" head was sharpened?
Why have an iron shaft when you could have a wooden staff? The same reason you'd make your shield three times as heavy as it needs to be. Because you can. To show off. To intimidate your enemies and impress your followers. Probably it was used exclusively at the blood altar, on targets already rendered immobile in one fashion or another, so it didn't really matter what it was made of.
Could it be a tool related to or used during naval warfare? We know that the Scandinavians had ship battles and had to join their ships to the enemies, essentially to create a platform to fight on, wooden planks would have hat to be lowered to make a suitable platform. So im just wondering if it was used in some way like a hook/wedge to grab onto and hold a ship in place. It would explain the metal shaft as the adversary would not be able to break it of, wouldn't want to pull it out thus creating a hole in the ship and could explain the free bearing ring (attached to a chain or hefty rope again hard to cut). The problem with that theory however is how would you hammer it into an enemies ship?
You said the Sutton Hoo shield was larger than typical. What if they're weapons for the dead? If he died in battle they might have prepared him to go to Valhall and have weapons for his draugr self for when Ragnarok came about. Draugr are known to change size and have super strength so it would make sense.
Looks like a lath hammer/carpenter's hatchet without the notch for nail pulling. Not all of them have notches nowadays and besides, the nails then weren't conducive to easy prying, it's also v. long.
scholagladiatoria That is called a boarding axe, it's a weapon/tool used aboard ships for a variety of purposes, including combat not some exotic prototype weapon. It's appearance is very much in line with later examples like the US Navy M1797. It's exactly the sort of thing a sailor would be buried with.
CAP198462 LOL. Firstly, it's not very similar to a boarding axe, secondly, it is twice the size. This would be pretty hopeless as a boarding axe - the fransisca we show is closer to a boarding axe.
+scholagladiatoria The head looks very similar to some caulking irons, used to hammer hemp fibres into the joints between each strake on a ships hull prior to paying with tar. A caulking iron that is held by a mate while you hammer with both hands seems plausible to me. I have plenty of years of living on old wooden boats (most would call them shitters hehe) that needed lots of caulking. It would also be excellent for cutting out old caulking. Hope this helps.
I know this is a extremely late response and will probably go unnoticed but another small possibility is that it is used as a shield wall braking tool. That one or a few could be driven into a section of the shield wall and then pulled by a rope attached to the lanyard to brake open a section to be exploited by a elite few to drive a wedge into the broken section of the wall. The total weight of the instrument would also bring down the shield making the apposing soldier extremely vulnerable. Wishing you all well.
I also thought the same thing! If the opposition had spears between the shields it could be thrown and just against a shield wall would be effective in causing a breach
Personally I would see how it would work as a wood splitter. Splitting timber from end to end using the axe against the wood and the blunt end is for striking the axe with a heavy hammer.
Here the metal shaft may come to use as the constant strikes from a sledgehammer onto the axe may (No expert here) wear a wooden shaft down quite fast. In such a use the weight and balance of the item is essentially irrelevant as it itself is never used for striking anything.
So, suppose you consider the place of burial. In a ship. I suspect this was a shipbuilding tool. Perhaps a side for fine hewing (with the square grip choked way up, and the back hand helping to lever), and a side for hammering wedges or spikes.
This would explain the cruder "blacksmith made" construction, as they may have been produced on-site when building ships...
Just a theory.
rewtuser Wasn't everything blacksmith made though? :P
there's a difference between something produced by a village blacksmith, and something produced by the armories/workshops of a person of wealth. Items made on site would also be a good deal more crude.
rewtuser I came to same thought. Perhaps the haft is metal for levering logs and stuff.
***** I like to think maybe the guy was a shipbuilder or owned a set of docks before he was rich.
***** Doesn't the all metal construction make it worse at hitting things? There is a reason most axes have wooden shafts.
A guy was using it as a tool to build the burial site and forgot it, he was pretty embarrassed when he realized it and couldn't go back and get it.
i have a very basic theory just based on the form and the metal haft. i will preface this by saying that i am a blacksmith and have been for 5 years but it looks almost identical to my hot set. So my guess would be that it is a tool used for cutting large pieces of metal with the smith holding the tool and another holding the metal and then a third swinging a sledge. It would explain the metal handle as wooden ones have a tendancey to become very loose in short order due to drying and catching light. with cutting larger pieces for example large smelted blooms from the furnace. The only problem is i can see no reason why it would be found in the burial.
A blacksmithing tool makes more sense as you point out. Way too early to be a war hammer and not a proper weapon type axe design.
Maybe he was a trained weaponsmith and this was one of his tools?
@@duncanidaho2097 Too early to be a war hammer? War hammers have been known and used since the early bronze age if not earlier.
If he was a blacksmith might they bury his tools? But then there would probably be other tools with him not just this.
But as far as I can tell the original is pretty undamaged at the hammer end which wouldn't be the case if it would have been stroked with metal sledge hammers regularly and the curved design isn't very good for transferring energy in a straight line to the hot iron under it.
It looks to me like a log splitter. Place the blade over the end grain, have a man with a sledgehammer strike the hammer end. This would allow precise splitting of logs for a ship's timbers, for example. The metal shaft saves the tool if the striker misses his mark and hits the handle. It could be that the tool isn't intentionally part of the gave, but was left in the ship by accident by one of its builders, which would explain why it appears to be much cruder than the rest of the grave goods.
I doubt it. The curve to the head wouldn't be there for that use, and the solid iron shaft would make it an awful tool to use for that purpose. Really uncomfortable and jarring. But who really knows.
The curved blade and the curved head would make the thing drift in any direction but you want it to go while sledging it. For splitting wood you want a straight or at least somewhat symmetrical blade design
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this idea, but to me that hammer/axe is a symbol for Mjolnir. That which pulverizes to dust! I think it's a symbol from that old time religion.
This is a great series Matt!
Here's a different suggestion: it might have been used for underwater maintenance.
Hold the long shaft from the railing, the flat side minimizes water-resistance, the metal-weight gives it good impact and the lack of wood means that the head will not work its way off from repeated wetting and drying. You can even tie it to the ship via the cord in the end.
Thanks for a ton of good shows mate.
It makes my day whenever I see that you have a new video up.
k0vert Cool :-)
it's an anchor, problem solved.
Torc Handsomeson Could be, but then why have the very long 'handle' and why have the sharp axe head part? + where most of the anchors in that time not made of stone rather than more expensive and rusting iron?
it's an archeologist confuser.
Torc Handsomeson I was thinking the exact same thing. or something you might throw from a boat to shore to draw your boat inland
You're all idiots.... It's clearly a paper weight.
Half of a Viking fidget spinner.
Shipwrights axe/maul as several people have said. I've just been watching videos on TH-cam about WW2 corvettes and the workers were using them.
fantastic series
as an other member mentioned ,i also believe that it is a wood splitter. that was the first thing came to my mind and actually makes sense. a wrong hit with a heavy hammer and the wooden shaft goes... the longer shaft also helps for better handling of the tool from distance without kneeling and keep hands and forearms out of danger.
"Heh heh, those future archeologists won't have a bloody clue as to what this thing is for!" *toss*
These videos are nice if theres anybody else you can get in to interview that would be really great.
Looks to me like an all-in-1 shipwrights tool for clinker boat construction.
The Axe head could be used for cutting and shaping timbers. The blunt head is perfect for hammering wedges in order to split logs into planks and also to secure the planks together with nails or rivets. Finally the ring on the base combined with the levering action of the long iron handle would be useful for tightening knots and rigging.
it looks like a type of blacksmiths hammer that i have seen at a workshop before.
So we've got two sets of people suggesting similar applications: splitting maul and hot cutter. This would explain the 'hammer head' (really a surface for a hammer to hit), and the metal shaft (because sooner or later someone misses and a wooden shaft would get cracked/splintered). The shaft is to keep your hands away from those hammer blows which we've established can sometimes miss. If it's for splitting wood, could the metal handle also be used for prying/wrenching, like a fro?
Well, we should never disregard the idea that a blacksmith had an idea that was original and put it to work and this went out : a poleaxe with iron shaft. The section seems to have been studied by it's creator : from round section to rectangular section. To win weight because it was too heavy ?
I don't know, but the guy who ordered it could have lost several wood shafts and didn't want to be bothered by that anymore.
Anyway, the question is : what was it doing in a king's tomb-ship ?
Was there any remains of animals, like a horse or a cow ? Could have been used to execute the horse if there was one, and stayed on site afterward.
This series has been really interesting. Wouldn't mind hearing about early Celtic arms and armor as well.
Matt, years ago I had a small hand sledge hammer that I used at work that that a friend of mine who was an ironworker made for me. it was made of a 9" x 7/8 inch steel bar welded to a 3 lb. hammer head. It was not ant better at its job than one that i could have bought, but it was singular to me & i could identify it from all the hand sledges that might be used at the job site instantly. I think your pollax is just what it appears to be, and was made by a craftsman for his own use. anyway that's my guess. Thank-you, Dante.
I was a welder for over a year and we always took off the wooden handles and replaced them with metal ones. One, because we could and was accessible. Two, because you didn't have to worry about broken handles. So if you were using it all the time and didn't want to worry about it breaking you could replace the handle with a metal one and it's safe generally for the life of the user. As long as it is oiled with high carbon steel. But i agree in battle they would prefer a wooden handle over a metal because of the weight.
It's very similar to tools used on shipboard today even on modern ships. Multi-use demo tools are very useful for many things, I;d guess that's an early example.
My explanation for the metal bar would be some kind of tool, that is also meant to be able to pry open stuff. The "axe-head" could be rather a wedge, that is hammered into a tree(?), that was meant to be split, then the "grip" could be used as a massive lever, to apply massive force, possibly from multiple people at once, or even supported by hammer blows to the part closer to the edge.. A treatment, that a wooden shaft probably wouldn't endure for long.
The grave itself was in a ship after all, so maybe this was a ship carpenter's tool to be able to quickly produce some improvised planks from locally found trees, when no well-provisioned harbor was near.
Ideas so far
1 - Ceremonial weapon
2 - Tool
3 - A blacksmith experiment
4 - Some kind of "test you skill as blacksmith" as an exercise or a local blacksmith tournament to show off the one that has the best skills and get more customers.
Boat Anchor, look at the Roman ones from when they had conquered the area and were there 200 years earlier sure the handles were wood but it looks like those. Also some modern boats use a similar anchor that looks like a modified prybar with a Y shaped device for grabbing onto the rocks or something.
To one who has done quite a bit of timber framing and green-woodworking, that looks like a rail-splitting wedge with an attached handle. The thinner, rectangular area of the handle makes a lot of sense, seen from this perspective. This would prevent the tool from becoming bound up in the cut/split. You could use this, accompanied by a series of wooden wedges, to split some very broad beams and planks! To a people who depend upon sea-fairing ships, such a tool would probably be seen as a great treasure. Especially if it were the first of it's kind. Maybe someone was especially proud of this invention..
Matt,
I remember reading a book from my school library. I believe the title was Bretwalda and it was a fictional story about a Saxon who became a hero against Danish invaders. He had an axe with a steel handle. I have to wonder if the author didn't use this axe as the inspiration for that part of his story.
I would agree that this axe-hammer is most likely a tool. Reading up a little on it, it was buried by his legs rather than by his upper body (with the other weapons).
As for it all being metal. I might suggest that it was a fashion or status choice. I would imagine that an all iron shaft would be more expensive to make and that it would set this axe apart from everyone else's. I could imagine that the axe would look rather impressive to the people of the time, despite it being a bit impractical..
To me it looks like an all purpose tool, that you would take with you on a ship. And use it as a crowbar, sledgehammer, woodcutting axe, and other things maybe?
edit: A bit like a fireman's axe.
That's clearly a boarding axe. I speak from vast experience of knowing fuck all.
Reminds me of a roman dolabra.
"The dolabra could serve as a pickaxe used by miners and excavators, a priest's implement for ritual religious slaughtering of animals and as an entrenching tool"
indeed, still now in Italy theres a tool looking called "malepeggio" (it comes in different shapes and one looks exactly the same)
That seems awfully well built to be ceremonial, most ceremonial weapons give off the appearance to being sturdy , but in reality aren't. I mean that's a lot of metal for something they could have easily made out of wood.
My guess is that it's some kind of maul, or other tool used in ship repair, but that doesn't really explain why the shaft is made of metal.
The poleaxe theory sounds reasonable, but might this particular one not have been either ceremonial or symbolic? Perhaps even made specifically for the burial? I would think that much steel, in a tool, would have been rather costly at the time.
My nan (well my mums nan) had one of those axes, obviously from a totally different period, and possibly shorter. From what I recall it was a hearth axe. However she died when I was eight maybe and so Its very possible that I just find it reminiscent of a childhood memory.
I was going to suggest it perhaps had a ceremonial use, but ceremonial objects typically had a bit more bling to them. Family heirloom, perhaps?
The rounded to flat shaft is what interests me. The only reason I can think of for that is if you were to miss with the head (axe/hammer) of the weapon, that flat iron, on the thin side, would've been excellent for breaking bones.
Not saying rounded iron wouldn't be just as vicious, just trying to think of a reason it's made that way.
Neat object, would love to know it's true purpose.
As a farm boy, that thing looks like a tool to me. And it seems reasonable that it's be a 'pole-axe' for butchering.
Krashlandon And I must say, we've many tools about the farm that have acquired metal shafts for various reasons and would like to point out that once that rake or fork has a metal shaft it keeps it, forever. There's a metal handle (pipe) rake my Granddad slapped together as a repair in the 50's that we still use, gawd I hate it but it's still around.
Krashlandon I know how you feel about that rake lol
I like these two later presentations! Good Job!
btw. That implement might be used as a farming tool. Maybe dragged behind an animal to plow a field. It is made of iron because it is low maintenance and was supposed to last for generations.
That doesn't quite explain the axe or hammer-side, but maybe the reconstruction went wrong.
Log splitter sounds good to me. Useful for boat and fort building. As said here by others, a metal shaft protects the tool from misplaced hammer hits, but also from tortional stresses where wood would wear. Imagine an axe head repeatedly driven hard into wood - you either work the handle up and down to free it, or sideways to widen the split. A wood shaft will wear pretty quickly doing that all day. In a weapon though, the stresses are very different and not as high. This is why some tools have metal instead of wooden shafts. Weapons generally need to be lighter and if damage is an issue, languettes are preferable to solid metal.
Shipbuilding or maybe a piece that had some special memory of youth, saved in battle type weapon, previous life before royalty.
That axe could have been used specifically for either ship building (because it was a ship burial) or for sea combat of some kind, a boarding axe/grapple. The ring for a line on the end would be explained at that point. Just my two cents.
Perhaps it is a gift to the king from a blacksmith friend?
Aside from possible tool uses like log splitting or animal killing, one possibility when you analyze it from a religious perspective is that it could be representative of the Anglo-Saxon god Thunor (similar to Norse Thor) whose symbol is famously the hammer. But we do have mention in at least one Anglo-Saxon source of Thunor wielding a fiery axe, and earlier Nordic/Germanic petroglyphic art possibly depicting some earlier variation of Thor wielding an axe. With this in mind, there are a few finds in Anglo-Saxon burials of small pendants, similar in general appearance to Norse "mjolnir" pendants, but with notably longer, more slender handles (an example of this style of pendant is the "Gilton Hammer" found in Kent). It's not actually 100% certain that these pendants are always hammers - the assumption was largely made because of the association with Thor. It's entirely possible that these are axes, hammers, or both. What we do know is that they are found in Anglo-Saxon graves and may be some form of spiritual protection or charm. And while the shape of these pendants isn't an exact 1:1 match for the Sutton Hoo axe-hammer, the long and slender haft capped by a ring on one side and double heads on the other at least presents a possibility that this is some similar custom. This axe-hammer may have had some religious significance as a sacrificial implement or a protective talisman associated with Thunor or some other pagan god.
Maybe it is a tool for some kind of builder/carpenter/worker. Or maybe a miner, the hammer used to break hard rock and stone or to plant nails, and when used like that you could handle it far from the head without worrying about edge alignement (thus the round shaft in the lower half), while the axe head can be used for finer work, like wood shaping, for that you would need edge alignemet (rectangular part of the shaft) and not as much raw power (thus hold it nearer the head, with less leverage) but more precision (again obtainable by holding it near the head). I could imagine a tool like that being used to build ships (like the burial site itself).
Anyway very interesting video Matt, thanks to you and to Paul
Its a spoke for a gigantic axe-wheel. The rectangular section is what fits into the felloes, with the axe head sticking out. The ring is to secure it to the hub.
Several of these are buried around the world, when all are discovered the axe-wheel will return!
The rectangular part of the shaft does make me feel like maybe its only part of something larger. Maybe some sort of tool? Maybe a tool used to build the boat? I can see wooden fittings interacting with that part of the shaft somehow maybe as some sort of planing device or splitting machine.
What are the chances that this is a board-splitting axe-hammer? The square bit of the shaft could be used to pound with a maul and wedge about a tough bit of oak, etc. to split out a knee-spar for the boat builders. To my carpenter's eye, it looks more like a tool designed for a really thick log than a weapon.
I'm DEFINITELY voting for a tool based on how heavy it is. Possibly some kind of martial tool for temporary fortifications?
He was convinced that the tool for sacrificing large animals like you mentioned needed to be all iron to appease those he was sacrificing to.
I think its quite possibly a ceremonial axe-hammer. The all iron would be symbolic and make sense in that context.
Maybe it was just to test if this kind of weapon would be practical, or perhaps it was just a ceremonial tool made only for the purpose of looking good.
Thanks for the video I never seen this before and I agree the helmets / weapons of the time were works of art and this look very rustic and the head dose look like a tomahawk the long iron handle didn't lend its self for tomahawk uses btw I don't clam to be a hema expert I feel the the tomahawk as we know it evolved from the Francisca some of the ppl I tell this to have a problem with it and I would enjoy your opinion
It makes total sense to me that the pole-axe would have early predecessors, especially in the context of a kingly type person who may be fighting other highly armored opponents for his time. Even if it wasn't plate.
Maybe a crowbar for breaking through gates and doors?
MrMonkeybat yeah for smashing gates perhaps even enemy boats?
MrMonkeybat They didn't really have gates or doors back then.
Usammity yes they did
MrMonkeybat
To crack open the gates of Valhalla?
AYE! Rather think what it could be used to do in Valhalla rather than in Midgard! ;)
I think it's a splitting maul. The hammer part adds weight, and you could use it to hammer sometime like tent pegs. It's also light enough to be used like a regular axe, it doesn't look like a super heavy maul. It may have religious significance. I also could see it being used to just clobber and chop up animals. Looks like the small hammer would help you dig deep to break stone if you had a mind to. I think the shaft being made of metal was to help it from breaking from repeated hits or misses, plus more mass helps it hit harder.
If it's a weapon, it's for dealing with those "full plate" armored Gauls the Roman sources describe, who were finally dealt with using camp pick axes. Very much a niche thing.
The forward curved hammer part resembles Japanese swordsmith hammers I've seen. I think it's a tool meant to do almost everything under the sun or as much as possible, sort of like a machete or multi tool. And by just making it all out of iron, you make it "abuseable" because it just won't break, so you can use it for ackward tasks that might break lighter but more precise and easy to use tools.
Great video, interesting topic as always!
Also I propose, we should buy Matt a small kitchen scale, so he can bust out that bad boy and measure the swords/axes/etc. he's showing us during the video.
András Csaba Horváth Haha, I actually have two, but I never think to have them to hand until I'm in the middle of filming.
scholagladiatoria Put one onto the nice piece of furniture behind you, and you can cover it up with the buckler, if you want to keep the feng shui of the room intact. :)
scholagladiatoria Also, you can insert comments after making a video, so if you forgot to weigh the sword/axe/whatever you can do it after making the video and adding it in post production.
The only reasons I can think for it having an iron handle is for durability or status. A king's tool should be expensive, heavy...and unused.
I wonder if this might be a specialized shieldwall-breaking weapon. It's weight and head design would impart an enormous amount of force when swung at a shield, especially if the wielder could aim his blow at the outer edge of the shield's face and torque it aside or even out of the wielder's grip altogether. Perhaps the idea was to turn the opponent's shield aside, allowing for a spear or sword-wielding partner standing close by (and in a long-practiced, well coordinated maneuver) to drive in and land a lethal strike onto the target.
This might make sense if Raedwald was a true Warrior-King expected to lead from the front. He might have seen it as his job to personally take on the very center of the enemy battle line and break it as quickly and violently as possible. Starting the battle by knocking aside or breaking the shield of the enemy commander/champion, opening him up to then be killed or maimed in short order would certainly dampen the enthusiasm of the remaining enemy.
The rounded part of the handle would have required forging to get that shape - suggesting they did it for a reason. Perhaps leather-wrapped for comfort and to give a bit of squishy grippiness - all the more important to be able to hang onto an immensely heavy weapon? The 'lanyard' ring might well be just that. The rectangular section near the top wasn't habitually gripped, and therefore no need to pretty up from forging, perhaps?
Obviously the weapon's weight is a problem, but Matt himself often points out that we shouldn't judge historical fighters by our modern standards (or lack thereof) of fitness and strength. Raedwald might have been a big, ape-shouldered brute of a man who could wield this weapon more effectively than we judge ourselves capable of. Or at least capable of swinging it with enough speed and aggressiveness to accomplish what might have been a very specialized and brief task. He might well have only needed to manage one or two blows to do the job! After breaking open the shield-wall perhaps he would draw sword or axe and get down to the business of mopping up the survivors - with his mob of seriously 'heavy' mates close by doing just the same.
Could be the occupant of the grave was a blacksmith, maybe buried with his first project from years before, or a son's first project.
Romantic guessing more than anything, there.
Or a shipwright's tool left behind. I don't know a thing about Anglo Saxon shipbuilding, but I'm guessing it would serve decently for splitting small timbers, driving pegs or nails.
In my opinion, the hand loop at the end (I don't know the English word for it) points clearly to a weapon, as there is no reason to tie your tool/slaughter instrument to your wrist.
On being blacksmith made (crude) - it's a war instrument, fancy engraved swords are for status as much as fighting, this was made solely to kill in battle.
Iron shaft - maybe the owner wanted the extra durability, or got used to it
Was this carbon dated? It seems to me that rotating ring on the end was abit strange for that period? Looks like the head is old and someone made the rest to look the part.
Everything in the Sutton Hoo burial seems to be so big. I mean the shield is huge, the sword seems very broad for the time and the helmet is very, very heavy. So it makes one wonder if the person buried there was a very big fellow or if he just wanted to appear scary wearing huge stuff.
There´s only one possible reason for an iron shaft. To prevent shaft breakage. This would argue that there is some particular likeliehood of a shaft breaking during the intended use of this thing. Perhaps swinging an axe from a galloping horse there´s a good chance of missing the intended target with the head but instead catching it with the shaft? That might tend to cause your shaft to break. Alternatively, it could be intended to use on foot for battering shields down. With most edged weapons you are attempting to get around the shield, avoiding it as much as practical, but this thing might be a sort of personal seige engine, built to batter itś way directly through the defense. Again, a breakage-proof shaft might be an essential feature for such a weapon.
the edge geometry is good at splitting wood. and it has a hammer for building/camping/construction works...iron shaft is need for strength when used as boarding hook to drag enemy ship close for board.
its an early idea of multipurpose tactical ax.
The entire time I was watching the video I was thinking it could be used as a imposing throwing axe that's weight and durability would preserve it for future battles, and would be less likely to be picked up and used by the opposing force. Predominantly the piercing shape of the axe head, it wasn't until the tomahawk comment that reinforced by presumption.
Could it be that like the francisca used to disrupt the formation and render shields of null effect but unlike the francisca provide a less "bouncing" alternative even one that falls weighted heavy from above, like the bird and "cherub" while the francisca being the dragon coming from below (the ocean).
Sorry for the wall of text, love the videos and keep up the great work.
Will you talk about the helmet aswell later?
araincs Not this time, sadly. We were limited by time in the number of objects we could cover and the helmet is very complex.
I didn't know they knew how to shape iron shafts back then. And to shape it so that it could fit into the wedge of the hammer/axe head? Must have taken some incredible smithing.
If I remember right the idea of the poll axe as a butchering tool was used all the way up into the 20th century here in the U.S., and probably still in use on smaller farms to this day.
So I am wondering if it is meant to be heated up in a fire of some sort as a forge tool or ritual killing implement. I can't think of practical reason to have the metal handle except if the handle was meant to withstand fire.
Just a thought, but it reminds me of a variation of a ship builders adze. Split the logs into planks with the axe blade, hammer in metal pins with the hammer end and the metal shaft as a lever for maneuvering logs. Possibly.
I'm voting for shipwright tool, with second choice as sacrificial implement, the iron handle adding mass for smashing the more thickly-skulled animals (or people in pagan times). However the suggestion of boarding weapon is also interesting, in which case you'd want a handle not easily severed.
Ok,
The ring on the handle is for a lanyard ,the lanyard will be attached to a belt or a saddle the axe is used on horseback ,with a swipe of the riders arm the lanyard is collected and the axe naturally comes to the riders grip. Try putting a pen knife in your pocket with a string attached to its end and tie the other end to a belt loop ,put the knife in your pocket and then use a swing of your arm to collect the string and see the knife end up in your palm!
Seems like you'd use it as a lever. Dig the axe in, hammer the back like a chizzle to get a good position and a metal shaft for strong levering action.
What specifically you're working with I dont know.
For me it looks like a breaching tool:
1) looks very robust
2) it is heavy and impact seemed to be more important then agility
3) the buisness-end seems neither suited for destroying armor nor making gaping wounds, but to be durable
4) I have seen a modern tool similar to it for breaking doors and walls
holy shit its a fancy crowbar for boarding ships like in the movies
sorry for the 5-year-old reply lmao
@@StoufSto you bring back memories. LOL.
@@edi9892 good ones, I hope!
Cheers :)
Hey Matt have you ever reviewed the film By the Sword with Eric Roberts I'd like to hear your thoughts on it if you need an idea for a video
A bit late to comment, but it doesn't look entirely dissimilar to something like an entrenching tool. Maybe it was used for earthwork on the tomb, and just happened to be left there accidentally? It is a bit of an off-the-wall idea, but it would explain the comparatively crude making, and maybe help explain why no others had been found.
Can also pry with it and have a longer reach to pound in waterproofing between planks
The steel shaft should allow for faster recovery and allow for faster blows to be made over a traditional axe. My initial thought was to hack and hook apart a shield wall with repeated blows. Along the tool theory, I'd think it was more like a stationary tool with the square shaft able to be wedged and secured and possibly straddled to repair other items that were buried. In other words a mobile repair station.
Maybe it was a test subject or prototype. To test whatever the full metal tool/weapon was effective. Or it may be a creative art.
I, myself, if I had the materials and shop, I'd make both metal and wooden shaft for my own enjoyment of making tools and weapons to add to my collection as well as to experiment it's qualities.
I must say, it does look attractive to me.
Or perhaps it was to train the muscles. By having heavier and more difficult material to utilize. You could train your blows to be different or stronger or even faster.
Of course, there are other possibilities, but you wouldn't want me to go on forever about it. Lol
Shape-wise, this is quite similar to eastern steppe (Saka/Scythian) axes. Of course, they didn't have metal shafts and this head seems a bit heavier as well, but the proportions and shape of the head seem similar.
First thought that came to my mind looking at it was maybe it was made by an apprentice blacksmith or someone experimenting with designs. The King or who ever it was in the Burial-ship might have been interested in it so the maker simply left it with him.
I suspect that the all metal shaft is presumably related to the construction method of having a tang and washer way of fixing the head to the shaft, instead of the more usual method. Perhaps if someone could think of a convincing reason for having an axe held on by a peened tang, rather than a wedged socket type affair, it would solve the riddle of what this item is for.
My own guess is that it's some ship-related tool, either for constructing/fixing boats, or for messing up enemy boats in early naval warfare, or if it is a weapon, rather than a tool, it's a specialised way of breaking apart a shield wall?
this dude was so rich, rich people can buy unique odd things, so he just bought something that was cool but impractical
Reminds me of a hot cut set for smithing.
But it is just weirdly familiar in many ways, none of which are consistent, which makes it such a mystery I guess. lol
I think its a tool for ship building. Try hammering with an axe it gets pretty dangerous. But not if the the shaft is longer. Note the curve on the top side profile, looks like it was designed to swing from the handle end close to a flat surface. Like an adz. FIts with a ship culture.
Have any pole-axes like this one been found in southern Sweden? I thought one theory of East -Anglia was that it was settled or partly settled by people from southern Sweden.
The world's first prototype. King thinks "Ohh, how i'd like a heavy hammer to just bash through all these shields while i'm on my horse. A bit like a polo mallett, but more axe-y. Make me one Mr. Blacksmith." Blacksmith comes back the next day "What like this mockup m' lorde?" The king keeps it to show off his exciting new invention, dies in the meantime, is buried with all his weapons, and nobody else knows what this new thing is so it just gets included in the burial. Solved.
balisticsquirel Oops, TrangleC said this already.
Maybe it was meant to be the symbol of his rule. I personally think that axe hammer weapon thingy made out of iron even shaft is pretty cool idea.
Maybe this has been asked before, but i was wondering, are there reports of people comissioning blacksmiths to forge them weapons or tools to their liking, even though the weapon or tool itself would've been useless in battle, not by the decorations, but by the profile of the object itself ? Not that i think this one is one of these if they existedm but it made me ask myself if maybe sometime we can't explain objects because they were simply a extravagant object made simply to please its owner and nothing else.
It's for boarding actions. You attach a chain to the end and through it from one ship to another you wish to board. You have through the acks head through a sail an it would whap itself around the mast.
is there any way to test the original for blood and bone residue and determine if it is human or pig/cow?
the probability of someone being unique in history from their choice of weapon or tool is always a factor..
If it was to be used as a weapon, surely the round shaft would make edge alignment, to use either the hammer or the axe head, really difficult in combat. Even the axe you showed as an example of a more conventional weapon/tool had an oval shaped haft to aid edge alignment. The all metal construction would also be very slippery if was being used constantly, was there any evidence that the handle had been wrapped in leather (or some other material) to aid grip?
J Corbett Yes, edge alignment would be difficult with this object and there was no evidence of any organic covering on the iron shaft (where there is evidence of leather and wood on other metal objects from the burial - so if it was there, we would expect to see it).
scholagladiatoria The flattened section closer to the head would aid with edge alignment wouldn't it?
Ben Kirkby You want the flattened section to be in your hand, the flatter part on that axe is a bar which would not be great to hold. Ideally you'd want something more of an oval I think at the wider cylindrical part where you hold it.
I'm no expert, but to me at least it does seem more likely a tool and if they are right on who it was in the grave then burying him with a sacrificial tool might make sense.
It looks like a shipbuilding tool. Hammer for riveting and blade for squaring, shaping, and flattening. Do we know if the "axe like" head was sharpened?
Why have an iron shaft when you could have a wooden staff? The same reason you'd make your shield three times as heavy as it needs to be. Because you can. To show off. To intimidate your enemies and impress your followers. Probably it was used exclusively at the blood altar, on targets already rendered immobile in one fashion or another, so it didn't really matter what it was made of.
I'm no expert but the first thing that came to my mind is a shipwrights multi-tool.
Could it be a tool related to or used during naval warfare? We know that the Scandinavians had ship battles and had to join their ships to the enemies, essentially to create a platform to fight on, wooden planks would have hat to be lowered to make a suitable platform. So im just wondering if it was used in some way like a hook/wedge to grab onto and hold a ship in place. It would explain the metal shaft as the adversary would not be able to break it of, wouldn't want to pull it out thus creating a hole in the ship and could explain the free bearing ring (attached to a chain or hefty rope again hard to cut).
The problem with that theory however is how would you hammer it into an enemies ship?
Armour/shield breaker? Possibly for mounted use? Or for despatching sacrificed animals?
You said the Sutton Hoo shield was larger than typical. What if they're weapons for the dead? If he died in battle they might have prepared him to go to Valhall and have weapons for his draugr self for when Ragnarok came about. Draugr are known to change size and have super strength so it would make sense.
Looks like a lath hammer/carpenter's hatchet without the notch for nail pulling.
Not all of them have notches nowadays and besides, the nails then weren't conducive to easy prying, it's also v. long.
scholagladiatoria That is called a boarding axe, it's a weapon/tool used aboard ships for a variety of purposes, including combat not some exotic prototype weapon. It's appearance is very much in line with later examples like the US Navy M1797. It's exactly the sort of thing a sailor would be buried with.
CAP198462 LOL. Firstly, it's not very similar to a boarding axe, secondly, it is twice the size. This would be pretty hopeless as a boarding axe - the fransisca we show is closer to a boarding axe.
+scholagladiatoria The head looks very similar to some caulking irons, used to hammer hemp fibres into the joints between each strake on a ships hull prior to paying with tar. A caulking iron that is held by a mate while you hammer with both hands seems plausible to me. I have plenty of years of living on old wooden boats (most would call them shitters hehe) that needed lots of caulking. It would also be excellent for cutting out old caulking. Hope this helps.