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

their size alone (Fig. 4.4), and the profile of the cutting edge is the best available—yet far
from satisfactory—method for differentiating them.
Items classified as single/flat axes are also comparable to broad chisels. The
average cutting width of the single/flat axes is 4.6 cm with a coefficient of variation of
0.27 (Fig. 4.7). Chisels usually have narrower cutting edges than single ax blades, but
both tools may have cutting widths between 3.5‒4 cm. In such cases, the tool’s length
must be considered as well, for chisels typically are longer than axes. This conclusion is
evident from the ratios representing tool length over width (Fig. 4.5a, b). There are a few
cases where single axes and broad chisels cannot be differentiated, but a general rule
seems to be that the L:W ratio of axes is notably smaller than wide chisels. Restated, axes
are more likely to have wider cutting edges and shorter overall lengths than true chisels.
As a basic cutting implement, the single/flat axe’s role was undoubtedly multi-
functional. Catling recognized the Cypriot samples as carpentry tools, but they may have
been employed for other purposes as well, perhaps for utilitarian needs or even as
weapons. 365 The terminology employed to classify some axes can also be problematic.
Evely categorizes “single-axes” differently from “flat axes/adzes,” but the former are
really shafted single axes and are listed as such in this study. 366
The terms “single ax” and
“flat ax” vary by region but are essentially utilized to describe the same basic ax type,
and are used interchangeably here.
Regional total MBA LBA General 2 nd millennium
Crete 14 1 11 2
Mainland 18 2 13 3
Islands 8 - 7 1
Cyprus 153 123 26 4
Anatolia 30 11 16 3
Syria-Palestine 145 48 58 39
365 Catling 1964, 85.
366 Evely 1993, 55, 72.
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