Preparing of life protecting against death? : observations pertaining to the late medieval miniature axes based on examples from the borderland of Greater Poland, Silesia and Brandenburg

Abstract

There are known over twenty late-medieval, iron axes from Poland with significantly reduced sizes. Three of them were excavated in the borderland of Silesia, Greater Poland and Brandenburg from stronghold-castle and urban archaeological contexts. In the scholarship, these artefacts were considered amulets, toys, weapons, badges and tools. Author concludes that smaller specimens, could have been used as apotropaic amulets or objects related to the cult of St. Wolfgang, while larger axes, with hardened blades, were most likely specialized carpentry tools, adopted perhaps also in self-defense, if necessary.