**First Time At Auction**

North America, southeastern/midwestern United States, Mississippian culture, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A lovely set of six heavy stone hand axes, hand-knapped and smoothed from a myriad of different stones. Axes like these would have been attached to a long wooden handle using fibrous twine or leather straps. Grooved axes (sometime called celts) have a wedge-shaped cutting edge used for woodworking, with a groove for mounting it to provide further leverage. The five largest axes in this group are full-grooved, with a knapped indentation encircling the handle; the smallest axe has a 3/4-groove handle, meaning the handle is a grooved parabolic arch, and the base is flat. A wonderful collection from one of the most enigmatic Native American cultures. Size of largest axe: 5.75" L x 3.5" W (14.6 cm x 8.9 cm); Size of smallest axe: 2.75" L x 2" W (7 cm x 5.1 cm).

Provenance: private Parker collection, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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#125584

All axes have surface wear commensurate with age and use, with minor losses to cutting edge and handles, and mineral deposits throughout.