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Artifact

Indo-Persian Saddle Axe

Description

  • Iron axe with a saddle-shaped blade and long handle. 
  • The hollow handle has alternating plain sections and spiral sections. 
  • Opposite the blade is a flatened head for deflecting blows. 
  • The blade and head are decorated in an abstract pattern which is mostly worn away.  
  • The decoration on the flat head may possibly show a robed figure. 

Background Information

  • This is possibly a battle axe from the Qajar dynasty in Persia (modern Iran). It may also simply be a parade axe, used for ceremonial purposes, from the same period. 
  • This axe was brought back from Persia by one of the Brown brothers. The crew had begun to dig through the sand to set up an oil drilling rig when their instruments were stopped at a shallow depth. The crew pulled out a cache of weapons, and among them was this axe. 

Map Location

Latitude: 31° 56' 11.465" N
Longitude: 49° 18' 3.481" E

Date

ca. 1800

Dimensions

inches
Length:
29.5
Width:
0.7
Height:
6.0

Events, Places, People

  • Brown
  • Iran

Originating Location

AsiaIran

Subject

  • A Persian saddle-axe with a long handle and a saddle-shaped iron blade. The handle has alternating plain and spiral designs on it.
  • The blade of a Persian saddle-axe. The blade is curved and there is a design incised on the flat part.
  • The head of a Persian saddle-axe. It is used for deflecting. It is square and sticks off of the back of the blade on the opposite side of the handle.
  • A close-up view of the head of the axe. There is a designed incised on the head, possibly of a robed figure.

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