Axe head · Chalcolithic
Corded Ware battle-axe
2900–2350 BCE, Corded Ware
The Corded Ware battle-axe is the polished stone shaft-hole axe of the Corded Ware and Single Grave cultures of northern and central Europe, about 2,900 to 2,350 BCE, placed in male graves. Its drooping blade and hammer butt imitate copper forms. Scandinavian boat-shaped axes are the most elegant variant.
| Object | Axe head |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2900–2350 BCE |
| Period | Chalcolithic |
| Cultures | Corded Ware |
| Regions | Europe — Western & Central, Europe — Northern & British Isles |
Diagnostic traits
Shaft-hole axe of polished stone with a drooping blade and a hammer or knobbed butt, often imitating metal forms.
Identification
Battle-axes are shaft-hole axes with a drooping blade and a hammer or knobbed butt, unlike Neolithic polished axes, which are unperforated, and later Bronze Age shaft-hole axes in metal. Boat axes have a boat-shaped profile. Hourglass or straight bores are drilled with a hollow drill.
Reproductions and fakes
Faked since the nineteenth century and reproduced today with power tools; genuine axes show pecking under the polish, drill striations in the bore and asymmetric wear. Modern bores are perfectly cylindrical.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Corded Ware battle-axe" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/corded-ware-battle-axe. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-corded-ware-battle-axe,
title = {Corded Ware battle-axe},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/corded-ware-battle-axe}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.