Barry Cunlife - The Scythians

bending the bow
9.18 Iron battleaxe from Kelermes, its butt end and haft encased in a highly decorated gold sheet. Such a
fine object, while perfectly effective, was probably largely ceremonial.
pany burials. One of the most highly decorated examples, that found in the Kelermes
kurgan, has its shaft and part of the blade covered in repoussé-decorated gold sheeting.
Physical evidence of the effectiveness of the battleaxe is present in a number of
burials. The most dramatic is the warrior buried in kurgan 2 at Pazyryk who had been
killed by axe blows to the head before being scalped.
Highly decorated battleaxes like the fine example found at Kelermes, while being
useful weapons, were also emblems of status. So, too, were the maces that are sometimes
found. The heavy bronze head of the mace accompanying the Solokha burial
with its six projecting lobes could have done a great deal of damage if swung at the
head of an enemy.
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