The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Axe
c. 250–900 CE
Overall: 18 cm (7 1/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1997.170
Location: 233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region
Description
Axes with stone blades and wooden hafts were used to clear land for planting. This more fragile example, made entirely of chipped flint, is a ceremonial version probably used in rituals before it was deposited in a tomb or an offering. Late Classic Maya vase paintings make the ceremonial associations of axes clear. In these painted scenes, axe-wielding deities dance among skeletons and supernatural animals, or raise the axe to strike a sacrificial victim.- {{cite web|title=Axe|url=false|author=|year=c. 250–900 CE|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1997.170