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

cutting edge). The coefficient of variation (CV) is calculated by the formula of
Standard deviation
Mean
. Lower coefficients signify a more consistent dataset while higher
values indicate more variable data. As one would expect, the Cypriot data best resembles
the measurements of the Syro-Palestinian tools. The lengths of the Syro-Palestinian and
Anatolian versions are quite comparable (around 14.5 cm on average with a similar
coefficient of variation), though the cutting width is nearly two centimeters greater in
Anatolia (5.5 cm) than in the Levant (3.8 cm).
B: Shaft-hole (or socketed) adzes
The shafted or socketed adze is a sibling of the shaft-hole ax, but it also bears a
resemblance to socketed hoes. 320 Shaft-hole or socketed adzes are identified by an adze
blade, which features a single bevel at the cutting edge, and either a shaft-hole or folded-
over socket at the butt end of the object for hafting. The tools are relatively large, with
lengths regularly over 20 cm and cutting edge widths greater than 6 cm. Comparatively
common in Iran and Mesopotamia, shaft-hole adzes are rare in the regions under study. 321
The tool was unknown in Egypt, even though single-bladed adzes were quite familiar to
that area. Since the tool is so rare in the Mediterranean regions, they are probably
alterations of socketed axes and hoes rather than imports from Iran or Mesopotamia.
When found in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean (Table 4.2), the shafted adze is
nearly exclusive to Syria and Anatolia (Ugarit, Alalakh, Boğazköy), except for a single
early example in the Aegean—from Quartier Mu at Mallia. This restricted distribution
further underscores the dominant tradition of single shafted implements (mostly axes) in
the Near East. The tool is best known at Ras Shamra, where eight shaft-hole adzes were
320 For the similarity of socketed adzes and hoes, see Petrie 1917, 18-19; Deshayes 1960, 230-239.
321 Deshayes 1960, 238-239, catalogue entries 1841‒1933.
137