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Chinese bronze axe

China, Zhou to Han Dynasties

Late Zhou to Han Dynasties, ca 400 BC to AD 200

BRONZE HOLLOW AXE 101.5 long, 32.5 mm wide, by 28.5 mm thick (at the thickest point), 169 grams. There is no sign of secondary sharpening, so the cutting edge is just as it would have been on the day it was cast. While this could have been used for any purpose for which a small axe was needed, most non-military uses would have required sharpening, which suggests this was a weapon.

The patination is a very dark mottled green and brown, with minor areas of mid to dark green encrustations and some hardened dirt remaining. The patina is mostly intact with none of the scraping and harsh cleaning seen on many of these axes coming out of China today. While a very simple undecorated example, it is still very nice for the type. There is a small ding on the cutting edge, which appears to originate from when this axe was in use 2000 years ago.

This type of axe is hollow so it can be placed over the end of a bent wooden handle, than secured by a pin pushed through a hole on the surface and into the wood inside. There is a second hole on the lower surface, but it is fairly small and probably just a casting flaw, as most axes of this type have a single attachment hole.

Axes of this form appear to have been made for a very long time, and it is not possible to narrow the dating of this example down a great deal. It would be anywhere from about 400 BC to AD 200.