| The axe shown here is a typical 4/4 groove axe—the ‘4/4’ indicates
that of the four sides to an axe, each is grooved to provide a suitable
hafting for a handle’s attachment. Other type axes are ‘3/4’, ‘1/2’, and
un-grooved axes –Celts, which were typically fitted into a deliberately
made hole in the handle, rather than the handle being wrapped around the
axe…
Full-groove axes date from the Late Archaic Period, ca. 3500 BC, to
the dawning of the Woodland Period, ca. 1000 BC. The use of Three-Quarter
groove axes, such as is shown in the second image overlap this period,
making their advent by 2000 BC or a little earlier—note the flattened side
of this axe, where the handle was attached, and to keep the hafting tight,
a wedge was driven. Celts became common in usage around 1000 BC, and this
form of axe continued to be made until the period where contact with European
cultures introduced trade-metal axes and hatchets. |
