Circa 900-1000 AD An iron bearded axe head with a, heavy blade, a lentoid shoulder and a round socket. The bearded axe, was common from the 6th century AD onwards in Scandinavia, but made most famous by the Vikings, who used these axes in battle to terrible effect. Bearded axes are named for the fact that the main part of the axe blade extends below the butt of the axe, creating a large cutting blade and allowing a fighter to hook onto the shields or weapons of his (or her) opponents. For more information on Viking axes can be found in Petersen, Jan (1919). De Norske Vikingesverd. Kristiania. Axes were commonly used within the Viking communities, almost everything was formed of wood making it unsurprising that many axes existed for constructing ships, houses, carts, as well as other objects. The axe was also one of the choice weapons of the battlefield due to its light weight. Size: L:65mm / W:160mm ; 240g. Provenance: Private UK collection; Formerly acquired on the European art market from pre-2000 collections.