Copper “Old Europe” Axe – Adze Sagaris

Description

Copper axe with spiked butt (Sagaris). This artifact is an extraordinarily significant piece of Chalcolithic metalwork, representing a high concentration of wealth, power, and long-distance trade. Mugeni or Siria Type Hammer-Axe/Adze (Plocnik/Vidra family), typology by Schubert 1965, p. 276, morphological type described as Battle axe (Patay 1984). Alternatively Jaszladany A1 type due to high weight for a Mugeni type. Material: Copper, with natural trace arsenic content Period Early Chalcolithic (Eneolithic), Late 5th to Earlier 4th Millennium BC (∼4500−3800 BC) Cultural Sphere: Danube Civilization, Vinća, Varna or Polgár Cultural Complex and the Kodžadermen-Gumelnița-Karanovo VI (KGK VI) Complex (Carpathian Basin Origin) Dimensions Length: 27.0 cm. Weight: 1211 g, volume 139 ml, density (average including patina) 8,71 g/cm3 (indicating copper with natural arsenic content from Carpatian mines). Probable Function: Specialized two-handed Battle-Pick and ultimate Prestige Symbol. The axe's design illustrates the pivotal transition from stone to metal technology, where the aesthetics of power dictated form even when metallurgy allowed for more efficient shapes. Design and Prototype: This axe is a prime example of technological emulation (skueomorphism). Its massive, angular profile and substantial bulk around the hafting hole (18 mm socket wall thickness) are metallurgically unnecessary for copper (which would save material if thinner). However, this bulk was structurally required for its Late Neolithic stone hammer-axe predecessors. By retaining this costly, massive form, the copper axe deliberately transferred the established symbolic authority of the old stone weapon to the new metal medium. Form and Function: The head is a single-piece casting that combines a broad, crescent-shaped cutting blade with a long, sharply tapered spike butt. This configuration defines it as a dual-purpose Axe-Adze or Battle Pick. This design maximizes the massive 1040 g weight into devastating kinetic energy upon striking, particularly with the spike. Hafting: The overall mass strongly dictates its use as a two-handed weapon to ensure control and maximize impact force. The short metal tunnel required a robust wooden haft (likely Ash or Oak) reinforced against lateral shock.