Ur (Mesopotamia), modern day Iraq, Early Dynastic III, ca. 2100 BCE. This is a bronze pick-axehead, with a short shaft tube edged by ridges and a protruding butt in the form of three thick spikes; the socket dips below the spikes. There is a museum accession number on one side of the piece. A similar pick was found in the Royal Tombs at Ur, a massive excavation that took place from 1922 to 1934 under the direction of the famous archaeologist Leonard Woolley as a joint expedition of the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania. Stories told by cylinder seals show mythical and ritual scenes where both gods and men use tools like this one, including one where a man is fighting a lion, striking at the beast with the spiked end of the axe. This is a dynamic and beautiful piece! Size: 8.4" L x 3.25" H (21.3 cm x 8.3 cm)

West Asiatic Shaft Hole Axes, by Rachel Maxwell-Hyslop (1949). Page 106, fig 16.

Provenance: Ex-Estate of John Piscopo. Mr. Piscopo was one of the largest collectors of ancient weapons in the US with a collection that spanned all cultures, all ages; Christie’s Auction 9-23-98, Lot 247 #4

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#112237

Repaired at socket but the repair is well done and it appears intact.