Sergey V. Makievskiy

Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East, FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia

E-mail: makievskiy@list.ru

Keywords: Primorsky Krai, 12th–13th centuries AD, Jurchens, small broad-edged axes, weapon, battle axe, knives, tool.

Among the items found during the study of Jurchen fortified settlements of the 12th–13th centuries in Primorye, there are iron objects similar in shape to an axe with a broad blade hafted on the handle. Due to the shape of its blade resembling a poleaxe, the objects were called “small broad-edged axes” and were classified as weapons, specifically, as battle axes used as throwing weapons in the Jurchen army. Under this term, the axes were introduced into scientific literature and were referred to in this way for a long time, however, recent studies established that they could not be used as combat weapons due to their design features. An analysis of the material showed that the design of the axes is typical of knife tools found in large numbers during the study of sites of the Jurchen period in Primorye.

DOI: 10.31857/S0869606325010083, EDN: BGRVVX