Europe, Alps or north of them, Chalcolithic Period, ca. 3500 BCE. A beautifully formed copper axe, with a smooth surface and tapered body style, terminating in a slightly flared, curved blade. The first metal to be worked in Europe was copper; smelted copper tools and other objects (like jewelry) began to appear around 5000 BCE. We know of these mostly from burials. Although it became abundant in areas that had close contact with the large civilizations of the Mediterranean, in the Alps and north of them it seems to have been a very precious commodity, fashioned into sparing pieces of jewelry and simple copper axes like this one. The most famous found example of these copper axes comes from Otzi the Iceman, one of the most famous archaeological finds of all time, a man who was born ca. 3300 BCE and whose body, with accessories, was found in 1991 eroding from the ice in the Otztal Alps on the Austrian-Italian border. One of the things he had with him was a copper axe just like this one, preserved with its handle. The haft was 24" (60 cm) long and made from yew, with a right angle at the shoulder that was attached to the blade using birch tar and lashing with leather strips. The blade part extended out of the lashing; his had clearly been used, whereas this one, which is slightly larger does not show signs of wear - it may have been made just as a prestige item or a grave good. Size: 1.5" W x 6" H (3.8 cm x 15.2 cm)

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.

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#116629

Excellent, with very slight patina/corrosion and archaeological deposits