A collection of “Laz” axes preserved at Ajara Museum

Abstract

An axe as an agricultural, battle or ritual weapon played a significant role in human life from ancient times. In the south Caucasus, the south-east Black Sea coast, including the western part of Georgia, is distinguished with a broad variety of archaeological axes, which was significantly conditioned by a large number of wood species, high levels of metallurgy and development of various agricultural fields. In respect of ethnography, southwest Georgia is characterized by a great diversity of axe shapes, which is a result of the functional differentiation of relevant activities. Herewith, an interesting similarity between the archaeological and ethnographical axes’ shapes is revealed. The presented article aims to clearly demonstrate this issue and provides the characteristics of two groups of axes represented in Adjara Museum. The first group includes the axes, a toe of which precedes a heel i.e. a heel is pulled up and also, an axe blade is completely pushed in; the second group consists of axes with a large and long eye and broad blade. The axes of this group are also characterized by a narrow cheek (middle part of an axe), which distinguishes them from other types of axes.