![]() During the same Stone Age, miniature double axes in the form of amber beads or ornaments were also in use. ![]() Scandinavia had double axes of stone in the Stone Age, evidently meant for use. It is found in Asia Minor and among the early Etruscan remains in Italy. 14.Ī double axe appears among the Hittite remains of Syria and Cappadocia where its use was evidently symbolic. Double axe incised on terra cotta fragment. It is also shown on various Greek coins.įig. Small double axes of gold were worn by Greek women and are found in their graves. It appears in painted outline upon Dipylon vases and is frequently represented on red-figured and black-figured vase paintings of the Classic period where it is sometimes seen in the hands of various persons portrayed in the decorations. In Sparta, numerous miniature axes in ivory or in bronze have been found dating from a period as early as 800 B.C. In Greece the symbolic use of the double axe is apparent from very early times. ![]() The natural inference is that the double axe in Crete was a sacred object and the symbol a cult. The same design is painted frequently upon Late Minoan I pottery and engraved upon sealstones, and in all these cases the carving or painting has a symbolic significance. The well-known labyrinth or palace excavated by Evans at Knossos takes its name from the double axes carved in outline on its walls. The outline of a double axe was found at Knossos on a clay sealing which Sir Arthur Evans assigns to the Middle Minoan I period. These are evidently symbolic ornaments and sometimes votive ‘ offerings. The stone axes of the period immediately preceding the Bronze Age are never double.īesides the full sized axes made for use, there have been found in Crete of the Bronze Age, miniature axes of gold, bronze, ivory and clay. The double axe of Crete made its appearance after the beginning of the Bronze Age. They appear to have been intended for use either as weapons or for hewing wood. Gournia, Boyd.Īn example of one or the other of these two classes-migration or convergence-is furnished by the double axe of ancient Europe and the so-called bannerstone of ancient America.ĭouble axes made of bronze and found in Crete are shown in the collections in the University Museum. Rome La Sapienza Studies on the Archaeology of Palestine & Transjordan. "A khepesh sword in the University of Liverpool Museum". The Rosetta Stone (unabridged, softcover, reprint ed.). Warfare in the Ancient Near East (softcover ed.). An ornately-decorated black-bladed khopesh was the weapon of choice for the fictional Egyptian Pharaoh Kahmunrah in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.Khopeshes were among many weapons used by Minotaurs on The Chronicles of Narnia films such as the 2005 version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the 2008 version of Prince Caspian, and the 2010 version of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.Khopeshes were used by Egyptians in many films of the Book of Exodus including the 1923, 1956, 1974, 1995, 1998 and its prequel, 2006, 2007, 2014, and 2016 films, as well as the Moses episode of Testament.The hieroglyph for ḫpš ('leg') is found as early as during the time of the Coffin Texts (the First Intermediate Period). The word khopesh may have been derived from "leg", as in "leg of beef", because of their similarity in shape. ![]() It may therefore be possible that some khopeshes found in high-status graves were ceremonial variants. Īlthough some examples have clearly sharpened edges, many examples have dull edges that apparently were never intended to be sharp. Various pharaohs are depicted with a khopesh, and some have been found in royal graves, such as the two examples found with Tutankhamun. , the Avenger of Baq-t-(Egypt), the interpretation whereof is ' Ptolemy, the strong one of Kam-t'-(Egypt), and a statue of the god of the city, giving to him a sword royal of victory, . However, on the 196 BC Rosetta Stone, it is referenced as the "sword" determinative in a hieroglyph block, with the spelled letters of kh, p, and sh to say: The khopesh fell out of use around 1300 BC. The khopesh evolved from the epsilon or similar crescent-shaped axes that were used in warfare. The blade is only sharpened on the outside portion of the curved end. The earliest known depiction of a khopesh is from the Stele of the Vultures, depicting King Eannatum of Lagash wielding the weapon this would date the khopesh to at least 2500 BC. These weapons changed from bronze to iron in the New Kingdom period. The inside curve of the weapon could be used to trap an opponent's arm, or to pull an opponent's shield out of the way. Description Ī typical khopesh is 50–60 cm (20–24 inches) in length, though smaller examples also exist. The khopesh ( ḫpš also vocalized khepesh) is an Egyptian sickle-shaped sword that developed from battle axes. ![]()
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