Battle ax: origin and historical features. Battle axes in Russia Viking battle ax

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What are antique axes

This is one of the first tools created by human hands. A pointed stone tied to a stick helped primitive people to cut down trees, dig up root crops from the ground, hunt, and defend themselves from enemies.

The very first varieties that appeared hundreds of thousands of years ago were mostly made of stone, then obsidian and flint. This is if we consider slightly pointed stones as axes, which were used for:

• household needs
• attacks
• hunting
• self-defense.

And if we call the first two-piece tools (handle and stone) as such, then this tool is much younger - it appeared about 30 thousand years ago.

Subsequently, the ancient ax was made of copper, steel, bronze. Its form was also improved, various variations appeared - both combat and peaceful. It can be even German, even Chinese, even African. But it is simply impossible to confuse such a product with other weapons.

Varieties of axes in Russia

A separate remarkable category is formed by ancient battle axes, which were a necessary part of the armament of the Slavs. In Russia, there were three main types:

• coinage
• slander
• ax (halberd).

Chekan - a tool with a blade in the form of a beak and a flat striker on the butt, fixed with an eyelet on the handle. It was used for close hand-to-hand combat. Quite often, the coinage is confused with the klevets, although they have a number of differences, especially since the second is a variation of the first.

Klevets - a short-pole hammer with a blade in the form of various lengths. Old axes were forged, as a rule, with a hammer on the butt, which had a wide variety of shapes: pyramidal, spiked, conical, smooth, etc. The pick was intended for close hand-to-hand combat, but was often used by horsemen.

The ax is a combat variety with a wide, up to thirty centimeters blade, made in the shape of a crescent and mounted on a handle up to 1 meter in length. In Russia, it was used mainly by foot soldiers.

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An ax is a weapon of war and peace: they can chop both firewood and heads equally well! Today we will talk about which axes won fame for themselves and were the most popular among warriors of all times and peoples.

A battle ax can be very different: one-handed and two-handed, with one and even with two blades. With a relatively light warhead (not heavier than 0.5-0.8 kg) and a long (from 50 cm) ax handle, this has an impressive penetrating power - it's all about the small area of ​​​​contact of the cutting edge with the surface, as a result of which all the impact energy is concentrated at one point. Axes were often used against heavily armored infantry and cavalry: the narrow blade is perfectly wedged into the joints of armor and, with a successful hit, can cut through all layers of protection, leaving a long bleeding cut on the body.

Combat modifications of axes have been widely used all over the world since ancient times: even before the era of metal, people carved ax handles from stone - despite the fact that quartz stess is not inferior in sharpness to a scalpel! The evolution of the ax is diverse, and today we will consider the top five most impressive battle axes of all time:

Ax

Brodex - Scandinavian war ax

A distinctive feature of the ax is a crescent-shaped blade, the length of which can reach 30-35 cm. A heavy piece of sharpened metal on a long shaft made sweeping blows incredibly effective: often it was the only way to somehow break through heavy armor. The wide blade of the ax could act as an impromptu harpoon pulling the rider from the saddle. The warhead was tightly driven into the eye and fixed there with rivets or nails. Roughly speaking, an ax is a common name for a number of subspecies of battle axes, some of which we will discuss below.

The most furious dispute that accompanies the ax from the moment Hollywood fell in love with this formidable weapon is, of course, the question of the existence of double-edged axes. Of course, on the screen, this miracle weapon looks very impressive and, coupled with a ridiculous helmet adorned with a pair of sharp horns, completes the look of a brutal Scandinavian. In practice, the “butterfly” blade is too massive, which creates a very large inertia upon impact. Often, a sharp spike was located on the back of the warhead of the ax; however, Greek axes-labrys with two wide blades are also known - weapons for the most part ceremonial, but still more or less suitable for real combat.

Valashka

National hatchet of the highlanders who inhabited the Carpathians. A narrow wedge-shaped knob protruding strongly forward, the butt of which often represented a forged muzzle of an animal or was simply decorated with carved ornaments. Valashka, thanks to the long handle, is a staff, a cleaver, and a battle ax. Such a tool was practically indispensable in the mountains and was a status sign of a sexually mature married man, the head of the family.

The name of the ax comes from Wallachia - a historical region in the south of modern Romania, the patrimony of the legendary Vlad III Tepes. It migrated to Central Europe in the XIV-XVII centuries and became an invariable shepherd's attribute. Starting from the 17th century, the valashka gained popularity at the behest of popular uprisings and received the status of a full-fledged military weapon.

Berdysh

The berdysh is distinguished from other axes by a very wide blade shaped like an elongated crescent. At the lower end of a long pole (the so-called ratovishcha) an iron tip (inflow) was fixed - with it the weapon rested on the ground at the parade and during the siege. In Russia, the berdysh in the 15th century played the same role as the Western European halberd. The long shaft made it possible to keep a great distance between the opponents, and the blow of the sharp half-moon blade was truly terrible. Unlike many other axes, the berdysh was effective not only as a chopping weapon: the sharp end could stab, and the wide blade repelled blows well, so the shield was unnecessary for the skilled owner of the berdysh.

The berdysh was also used in equestrian combat. The berdysh of equestrian archers and dragoons were smaller in comparison with infantry samples, and on the shaft of such a berdysh there were two iron rings so that the weapon could be hung on a belt.

Polex

Polex appeared in Europe around the 15th-16th centuries and was intended for foot combat. According to a scattered historical source, there were many variants of this weapon. A distinctive feature has always been a long spike at the top and often at the lower end of the weapon, but the shape of the warhead varied: here is a heavy ax blade, and a hammer with a counterweight spike, and much more.

Metal flats can be seen on the shaft of the poleax. These are the so-called langets, which provide the shaft with additional protection against cutting. Sometimes you can also find rondels - special discs that protect the hands. Polex is not only a combat weapon, but also a tournament weapon, and therefore additional protection, even reducing combat effectiveness, looks justified. It is worth noting that, unlike the halberd, the pommel of the poleaxe was not one-piece forged, but its parts were attached to each other with bolts or pins.

Bearded Ax

The "classic", "grandfather's" ax came to us from the north of Europe. The name itself is most likely Scandinavian in origin: the Norwegian word Skeggox consists of two words: skegg (beard) and ox (axe) - now you can show off your knowledge of Old Norse on occasion! A characteristic feature of the ax is the straight upper edge of the warhead and the blade pulled down. This form gave the weapon not only chopping, but also cutting properties; in addition, the "beard" allowed to take weapons with a double grip, in which one hand was protected by the blade itself. In addition, the notch reduced the weight of the ax - and, given the short handle, the fighters with this weapon did not rely on strength, but on speed.

Such an ax, like its many relatives, is a tool for both domestic work and combat. For the Norwegians, whose light boats did not allow them to take excess luggage with them (after all, there was still room for the loot!), Such versatility played a very important role.

Today turned out to be a successful day: Cheka battle ax , old hammer, arrowhead... all this was found in the forest! The spring weather in a special way lifted the mood in search of artifacts... And although gold and silver were not found, each find for a treasure hunter, even if it is petty, is a contact with history!

At half past seven in the morning, my partner and I are already setting up metal detectors and discussing a plan of action. Since there is "fornication" on the territory of our searches (a special place in which a person loses orientation), I set up the program on my android device - "" and ... to search.

I am searching today with the "" coil. As soon as I set up the metal detector, a coin signal was clearly audible two meters away - I'm digging. Literally at a depth of ten centimeters there is a lost coin - 10 kopecks in 1948.

The relief of the search site smoothly goes down (it should be noted that the relief in this area has a large slope of about 800 meters), black iron signals are constantly heard under the coil, and this is a sure sign that life was seething here at one time - these are traces of an ancient settlement.

Since the metal detector is set up for reconnaissance, I decide to dig everything in order to see and attribute the finds.

Here, for example, is a black iron signal, I'm digging. The depth to the target is 40 centimeters, and now I extract a large piece of old black iron. What is it? And what do they eat it with? Unknown. But the most important thing is that a place for further searches has been found, it remains only to examine it thoroughly.

I reconfigure the metal detector to other settings, I contact my partner and say: "Let's go for a smoke break, just next to me there is an old fallen tree on which you can lay out a dining table."

Such is the nature around me

How can you not take a picture?

There is beauty in the forest, the sun, some unknown bird sings its spring song. There was even a desire to record on the recorder, but then a partner came up and we decided to have lunch: as they say, "... lunch on schedule." Well, I forgot about recording audio in the spring forest.

And, as always, savoring dinner, the partner “pushes” a fresh anecdote:

A man left his car in the yard,
and pasted a note on the windshield:
"The gas tank is empty, there is no radio, the engine was stolen"!
The next day, he finds another friend next to his note:
"Then why do you need wheels?"

After lunch and a smoke, we decide to thoroughly explore the surrounding area. He moved away from the tree some ten meters down the slope and right there - a signal of wrought iron. But a very good signal, I have not heard this for a long time! He took off the bayonet of the earth, another, and under the coil further signal! And then the shovel catches a piece of iron, I examine the find: old battle ax! I haven't raised these in a long time. battle ax The find is extremely rare, so nice.

battle ax lay in the ground, according to my estimates, at least 800 years! When you hold such things in your hand, you treat them in a special way. You can feel the breath of centuries and some kind of magic! After all, a thing lies untouched in one position for a very, very long time. And in one day, in what 5 minutes does it get into the backpack of a treasure hunter!

Moving on, a faint wrought iron signal appeared. Wow, "it can only sound like an arrowhead, but also a flat nail," I think and dig. At a depth of 25 centimeters, I saw the target and was not mistaken - an arrowhead. Finding in a backpack and further wool ...

Antique hammer, a necessary thing in the household

I went through about twenty meters and then a signal of black iron, but the target is big. Intrigues, I dig out - an old hammer. On the farm, you always need one 🙂 But on the farm, you always need something, so I’m looking further.

And then another interesting signal - black and forged, somehow it is not clear, but the object is large. I dig, practically in clay, I see a hoe or, as they say, a chopper, at a depth of forty centimeters. I don’t have this in my collection, it’s unusual in shape, but it’s a nice find, I put a bag in the thing.

Soviet-era penknife

I hear on the radio station, the partner says that we will turn off, because there was work around the house, it was decided to return slowly towards the car. Here is the signal of black iron, the target is almost at the top, poked with a shovel, jumped out ... a penknife of the Soviet era.

About ten meters away I find a place where there are a lot of targets, I dug out a piece from a cast-iron, then again a piece, and so many times, I dug a lot of them, but found nothing worthwhile. I decided to leave this place, because I spent half an hour on this cast iron, but there was no practical use. Sadly!

Wiring for saws, carpenter's tool

Then a signal of black deep iron, I extract the wiring for the saws. Once upon a time, the forest was cut with hand saws and sharpened and wired right in the forest, and this lumberjack, who did this, lost it or simply threw it away. I don’t throw away the artifact, I take it and move on. Oops, black iron signal, I'm digging and here it is again... penknife.

Garbage from the search for antiquity

I take it for a photo session, although, according to the old treasure hunt tradition, I will bury all the garbage that I found back in the ground near the car. In some 1000 years it will be a real rarity, but now it's just "garbage".

My findings made me happy

Well, let's sum it up: I found a new place where I will spend more than one day of searching! So there will be more stories and, I hope, with a good and interesting ending!

Good day to all. A couple of days have passed since I picked it up, today I decided to clean it and describe the whole process of cleaning the find. So, the battle ax, which has lain in the ground for many centuries and once brought into the light of God, is ready to be cleaned from old age-old caverns and salts...

From the very beginning, when the find got into the workshop, I clean it from the remnants of clay or soil, then wash it under ordinary water, to the state of "clean product".

If there is time, then I immediately take it to a complete cleaning, and if not, after I washed it, I immerse the artifact in distillate(distilled water).

Battle ax washed and ready for cleaning

battle ax washed and ready for further procedures. Since the old ax looks like a vigorous metal, I simply put it in a special dish, filled it with distilled water and began to boil, followed by topping up with distillate. It boiled for about one hour, while I added water 5 times!

Note

The product should lie in the dish, on a small stand, and not at the bottom.

While cleaning artifacts, I use such a respirator

Then I take a small grinder, install a ruff (brush) and carefully clean off the old caverns (growth, salt). At the same time, I definitely use a respirator and goggles, because the dust that is obtained during cleaning is very detrimental to the body. In the middle of the eye of the ax, I clean it with a bur (boron machine). The old ax has been cleaned, but that's not all.

Thoroughly wash the ax from the remnants of dust under running water. Then a bath with distillate and again boiling, followed by topping up with water. I get it in about forty minutes. old ax and again I do mechanical cleaning ... this time only with sandpaper, while using all sorts of bars and devices.

I look, a gray patina appears, this is the end of the mechanical cleaning process.

Note

When cleaning, you need to take your time, because you can clean the product to a shine, and this, in my opinion, is no longer correct..

After a thorough cleaning, I once again do a healing bath of distilled water, in which the old one will boil until almost all the salts come out of it. Salts that come out of the product will collect at the bottom of the dish in the form of small crystals.

The product boils in distilled water until the bottom of the dish is clean (no salts).

Note

Do not use the preservation oven (in which food is cooked), the wife will kick you out of the house from the start.

I bet old ax for 6 hours in the oven, while setting the temperature 260 degrees. After such calcination, you can use microcrystalline wax but I use " Ferum(anti-corrosion agent).

Battle ax cleaned and preserved

Such are the procedures and the old battle ax acquires its original appearance, cleaned and mothballed. You can compare the finds: before and after photos!