Middle and Late Bronze Age Metal Tools from the Aegean, Eastern ...

4.2). 316 Similar blades are known from Syria and Anatolia, but the Aegean example is
unique in having three shaft holes with gaps in between. Evans classified the object as a
weapon of “the Minoan prince,” but a comparable fenestrated ax head with three separate
shaft holes is also known from the MBA Sakçagözü hoard found in southeastern
Anatolia. 317 The occurrence of a crescent-like, fenestrated shaft-hole ax in the
Peloponnese testifies to cultural interaction with the east and it stands to reason that the
blade was a prestige/ceremonial item rather than a weapon or tool. The ax was most
likely a ritual object in the Aegean, utilized by priests, judging by seal depictions (from
Knossos, Vatheia near Knossos, and Vaphio) of long-robbed figures carrying a
fenestrated-like ax over their shoulders. 318 The ritual connotation of the Vaphio ax is thus
emphasized by the depiction of a similar looking blade on one of the seals from the same
grave. One reason for its specialized nature in the Aegean is surely because it was unique
to that region. The pairing of the Vaphio fenestrated ax with an ax-adze, decorated with a
figure-of-eight shield motif on its side, is unusual. 319
A ritual item like the ax blade is an
odd selection to be combined with a carpentry/masonry tool, even if it too was considered
a prestige item.
Regional distinctions and similarities are manifested not only in the distribution of
the tool but also in physical aspects such as the length and cutting edge width (Fig. 4.1).
As previously mentioned, the Cretan shaft-hole axes are notably smaller than those found
in the eastern Mediterranean. The Cypriot cases are the most standardized among the
dataset, as suggested by their low coefficient of variation (0.17 for both the length and
316
Kilian-Dirlmeier 1987, 203-204, figure 4; Tripathi 1988, 346 entry 1145. National Museum #1870.
317
Evans 1935, 418; Summers 1991, 178, figure 2, plate XXXIII.
318
Evans 1935, 413-414, figure 343; Kilian-Dirlmeier 1987, 204 figures 7 and 8 (#225).
319
Kilian-Dirlmeier 1987, figure 2, 4, 5.
136