An Asymmetric Axe from the Collectionsof the Tobolsk Museum-Reserve

Abstract

Purpose. Among its collections, the Tobolsk Museum-reserve keep an axe, which was an accidental find. The purpose of this publication is to introduce the presented sample into scientific circulation, as well as to complete the description of the find, establish its functional purpose, chronology and determine its place of production. Upon admission to the museum, it was identified as a combat weapon and tentatively dated to the 17th century. Results. The axe has a wide blade which extends downwards, covered with a notched ornament. An important feature is its asymmetric cross-section, where one of the sides is flat and the other is convex. Similar axes found in Siberia are often defined as battle axes, however this definition is incorrect. Currently, no Tobolsk axe prototypes are known to have been found on the territory of the Moscow state, however asymmetric axes are known to have been used, in particular, in Eastern Europe, since at least the 15th century. According to some authors, asymmetric axes are specialized tools for carpentry and joinery. This definition is most reliably justified in the publication of Polish researcher M. Glosek. This point of view is convincingly confirmed by the catalogues of Eastern European metalworking plants of the first half of the 20th century. The definition of long-bladed asymmetric axes as a combat weapon is based, as a rule, on random finds with unknown dating. More proof can be found by their absence in the materials of archaeological excavations. Conclusion. It can be assumed that asymmetric axes were imported to Russia between the Modern Period up to ethnographic modernity. One of the most likely producers is the Transcarpathian plant in the village of Kobyletskaya Polyana, which specialized in the manufacture of tools for the forest industry and had a fairly wide market. The widest possible period when Transcarpathian axes could be imported into Russia is no earlier than the end of the 18th century, and not later than the middle of the 20th century.