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Artifact: "Duckbill" Axe Head Location Discovered: Jerusalem Date: c. 3000 B.C. Material: Bronze Height: 2.125 inches Width: 4.25 inches |
This bronze axe head was found near Jerusalem and is dated to the early Bronze Age, circa. 3000 B.C. This type of axe is often referred to as a "duckbill" axe due to its characteristic shape. While axes were first used as agricultural tools, they were later developed for military use to pierce the bronze helmets and armor that began to appear on Near-Eastern battlefields. The long, narrow blade of this axe head identifies it as an armor-piercing weapon (1).
While not as common as the spear, the axe was still one of the most recognizable weapons of the ancient Near East. Axes such as this one were used heavily by Canaanite tribes during the time of the Patriarchs. It is likely that many of the warriors that fought in the Battle of Siddim, recorded in Genesis 14, were armed with similar axes. Abraham and his household warriors would have also used such axes in their ambush of Lot's captors, also recorded in Genesis 14.
While not as common as the spear, the axe was still one of the most recognizable weapons of the ancient Near East. Axes such as this one were used heavily by Canaanite tribes during the time of the Patriarchs. It is likely that many of the warriors that fought in the Battle of Siddim, recorded in Genesis 14, were armed with similar axes. Abraham and his household warriors would have also used such axes in their ambush of Lot's captors, also recorded in Genesis 14.
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(1) Boyd Seevers, Warfare in the Old Testament: The Organization, Weapons, and Tactics of Ancient Near Eastern Armies (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2013), 120.
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