Axe with obtuse heel

The very well-preserved bronze axe is characterised by a widened blade and a straight shank with high edges. The base of the head is formed by a narrow crosspiece called a heel, in the case of the piece on display resembling a miniature hourglass. The tool was made in a special two-part mould, as evidenced by the casting seams on the sides. The relic comes from a treasure discovered in early 1938 near the defunct settlement of Sicina (German Augustenhof), the site of which is now within the south-western boundaries of the town of Pyrzyce and was once located on the road to Banie. In connection with the planned construction of the airport, excavations began in the area. Among other things, a treasury of axes was found, laying one above the other at a depth of 40-60 cm from the surface. Of the twenty, two axes were most likely lost shortly after their discovery, and eighteen ended up in the museum in Pyrzyce (Kreisheimatmuseum Pyritz), which was unfortunately burned to the ground during the last war. The rescued treasure, as well as other artefacts, was transferred to the collection of the then museum in Szczecin (Pommersches Landesmuseum in Stettin), where it has been kept ever since. Hourglass heel axes date to the beginning of the 2nd Bronze Age, i.e. the years around 1600-1500 BC. The occurrence of this type of tool has been found over a wide area, namely from West Pomerania to the Rhine and the British Isles. Interestingly, the pieces discovered in Pomerania are believed to have been produced locally, in local workshops. Dorota Kozłowska