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A ceremonial axe from the Catacomb culture in the northern Black Sea
area, 2nd half of the 3rd millennium B.C.
A graceful, finely ground ceremonial axe made of jet-black, ban-
ded jasper, with a boat-shaped outline. Slightly curved at the top,
the neck and the domed, blunt cutting edge flaring distinctly down-
wards. A fine line incised along the edge of the blunt neck, before
which a bulging incised line extending back across the flanks. The
surface between these lines stripped off and made slightly deeper,
thereby creating fine grooves. This process repeated on the upper
surface. Slender bulging ridges, separated by incised lines, on the
outsides, around the central bore hole and along the central axis. The
surface between these bulging ridges has been ground down, thereby
creating exceptionally fine and precise grooves over the entire sur-
face. Length 10.5 cm.
Without a doubt, this outstanding, early Bronze Age artefact from the
northern Black Sea area was used for ritual purposes and not inten-
ded for everyday use; this is borne out by the blunt cutting edge, the
extraordinary, naturally deep black, finely banded stone and the ex-
tremely elaborate, delicate design on the surface. The axe represents
a remarkably rare and perfectly shaped relict of early Bronze Age
craftsmanship in the region, the quality of which is beyond compare.
P
rovenance
:
Private Austrian collection, acquired from another pri-
vate Austrian collection during the 1990s.
245685
II +
€ 10.000
3118