2000-700 BC. Bronze Age. Rare axe head with short, crescentic blade, elongated cylindrical cheek, projecting loop handle and stepped socket. A moulded male human face with abstract features is depicted just below the socket rim. Bronze weaponry production flourished in western Asia, the Aegean, and Mainland Greece from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC, when it was gradually replaced by iron. Axes, swords, spears, and arrows were important symbols of war in Bronze Age societies and served as powerful reminders that authority rested in the hands of those who could earn it. Excellent condition; on a custom stand. Size: L:155mm / W:62mm ; 535g; Provenance: From the collection of a gentleman based in London; formerly with a British gallery; acquired in the 1990s.