510 THE AGE OF BRONZE IN EGYPT. 



of wood aud maintained in its socket by a coil of gold thread. It is of 

 black bronze and has been gilded. 



One of its facets bears lotuses on a ground of gold ; the other 

 represents Ahmos threatening with his axe a barbarian, half over- 

 thrown, whom he is holding by the hair of his head. Above this scene 

 is represented the god of war, Monton Thebain, under the form of a 

 griffin with the head of an eagle.* 



The other axe is of the same form, the handle being of horn garnished 

 with gold, the blade being of silver. Among the bronze axes found 

 in Egypt with which I am acquainted none is perforated in the same 

 way as the axes used in our days. All are of the same form as the wedges 

 of bronze so common during the age of bronze in Europe, and are fast- 

 ened to the handles by thongs or other bands. 



All the Egyptian axes that I have had an opportunity to see at the 

 Louvre and in other collections have been flat wedges without any 

 traces of elevation along the borders, ''straight borders"! without 

 shoulders near the middle portion, to prevent the blade from entering 

 into the handle when one struck with it. 



The blades are either nearly of the same form as the axes of stone 

 (Fig. 36) or else somewhat enlarged at the edge. The upper portion 

 of several have a form characteristic of Egyptian axes (Fig. 28). It is 

 rectilinear and prolonged into a point toward the two extremities. 



There were however other forms of bronze axes, besides. Among 

 the re-productions whicli date from the earl}^ era of the ancient 

 empire, axes with a half circular blade are to be seen, as in Fig. 31. 

 This blade is massive ; but later on, towards the close of the ancient 

 empire, the blade has very often the form that is shown in Pig. 32, with 

 two round holes near the handle. | The arm represented by Fig. 33 

 has a similar blade with two holes, only more elongated; the surface of 

 the handle is of silver. § 



Sometimes the axe blades are pierced through and through like that 



* According to Ermau (JEgi/pten, p. G12) the middle of this facet is covered with 

 blue enamel of the very deepest sliade. 



t In Materiaxx pour rUist de V Homme, ISlil), pi. Id, Fig. 3, an Egytiau axe is repre- 

 sented wliicli, according to p. 378, should have straight borders, but the designs of 

 the plate referred to are not sufficiently exact to draw any conclusions. I have writ- 

 ten to the museum at Boula<i, where the figured axe should have been deposited, to 

 inquire about it, but have received no reply. 



t Intermediate forms between figures 32 and 33 are reproduced from the monuments 

 at Thebes, in the Mdiincrs and Customs of the Ancient /iV/yj><iaHs, by Wilkinson (Hrst 

 edition), vol. i, p. 3:25. Comp. Lopsius, Denlmahr aus Jujijpten und ^Ethiopien. 

 Vol. n, PI. 132. 



§ Axe blades of precisely the same form as in Fig. 33 (without a handle), are de- 

 posited one at the Louvre and the other in the collection of Mr. Greenwell at Dur- 

 ham. In these two, as in the original of Fig. 33, the borders around the two semi- 

 circular apertures are in slight relief. Similar axes to those of Fig. 33 may be seen 

 among the reproductions of the twelfth dynasty. Lepsius, les Me'taiijc, vol. il, PI. 132 

 and Wilkinaou, Manners and Cusloina^ vol, i, p. 325, Figs. 5 and 6. 



