In ancient Egypt, the weapons used by the armies varies throughout Egypt’s history. Various sections of the military had different weapons like simple bows, arrows, slings, throw sticks, daggers, maces, clubs. The mace was the common weapon used for primary close combat with the opponent. However, ancient Egypt battle axes was a practical weapon that replaced the mace as Egyptian’s military close combat weapon.
Ancient Egypt cutting axes is a blade that was fastened to a sizable handle. This was done to keep as far as possible from harm’s way. The affixing of the blade to the handle required relatively little power. The head of the battle axes was generally inserted into a hole or groove in the wooden handle and tied fast.
In reality, it was the cutting blade or axes that were used throughout Egyptian Dynastic history. The piercing blade did not appear until the Middle Kingdom. Overall, there are about five different subtypes of battle axes. Battle Axes had a crescent-shaped blade and used as a close combat or contact weapon. It could also be hurled as a missile on the opponent during any battle.
Facts of Ancient Egypt Battle Axes
It was the Old Kingdom that saw the advent of spears. The Middle Kingdom saw quivers and battle axes that were used for close combat by the military.
The Pharaoh’s struggled to hold on to the Egyptian power during the Middle Kingdom, the period between 2030 BC – 1640 BC. With frequent attacks, it was necessary for them to protect now more than ever their trade routes and resources. Thus, it was at this time bronze bladed axes began to appear in the infantry.
Bronze bladed axes were constructed with a blade that was affixed into grooves on long handles. The contemporary axes made by the early Egyptians feathered a hole through the axes head so that the handle fits through. These bronze bladed axes were weaker in comparison. But it ideally suited their purpose of slashing unarmored troops and hacking through hiding, from covered wood framed shields.
These battle axes were less prone to breakage and were more effective in cutting wounded or fleeing enemies to pieces. Thus the infantry armed with battle axes were typically deployed once the enemy had been weakened by archers. The battle axes were of use in breaching an intact battle line as it can be more easily manipulated in constrained spaces.
The Hyksos, Asiatics themselves, introduced scale body armor that had a great impact in the battle context into Egypt. By the middle of the 2nd millennium, battle axes like these were phased out due to the wearing of heavy armor.
