Some remarks on socketed axes of the Passau type

Abstract

Among artefacts from a private collection there is a bronze socketed axe which resembles the Passau type, originating from an unknown locality. Since the type was first defined in 1935, its definition tended to be extended to cover axes of other variants, and as a result, apart from those decorated with three arched planes (wings), axes ornamented with 1 to 4 arched ribs have also been included into this type. In recent years, however, the name has practically fallen out of use in archaeological literature. A review of relevant publications indicates that both the Passau type proper and the variants decorated with ribs should be dated to a broad timespan of HaA2–HaB3. The earliest assemblages, mostly hoards, occur in the middle Danube basin, and the younger ones in the upper Danube and upper Elbe basins. The closest analogies to the privately-owned axe discussed here are stray finds from Bavaria and Austria. Their chronology falls within HaA2–HaB2, perhaps with a focus on HaB2.