Ancient Near East, the Levant, Canaan, Middle Bronze Age, ca. 1950 to 1539 BCE. A fine pair of cast leaded-bronze and copper axe heads with a characteristic 'duckbill' shape and openwork hafting slots behind a stocky blade. The two ovoid perforations increase the aerodynamic efficiency of these axes when swung, and add a zoomorphic appearance of nostrils, hence the type's name. The socket, thick spine, and ribbed center also create a hefty, lethal weight that one does not want to be on the receiving end of! These weapons resemble a type of axe head from Hazor, which is described in the Book of Joshua as the head of the Canaanite city-states, and the site of one of Joshua's most important victories in the Israelites' conquest of the Promised Land. Archaeological expeditions from 1955 to 1958 CE revealed Middle and Late Bronze age temples, palaces, and fortifications, as well as a range of artifacts including cuneiform tablets, ivory objects, a basalt statue of a god, and metal weaponry like these examples. Size of largest: 3.75" L x 2.25" W (9.5 cm x 5.7 cm)

Provenance: private East Coast collection, New York, USA; ex-East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#136967

Chips to the blade on the green head and surface abrasions, otherwise intact and very good. Chip and stable fissure radiating from this area on the socket of the large brown head, otherwise intact and very good with only minor surface abrasions and nicks. Rich patina on both and mineral earthen deposits within the sockets!