The Evolution of the Axe

By Sam Moore
Published on April 3, 2018
article image
courtesy of Greg Stephens an axe collector from Brewster, Ohio
A mid-20th century, single-bitted axe.

In past columns, I’ve written a little about some of the hand tools that were once essential on farms and ranches throughout the country. One of these is the axe, a tool that few folks know how to use in these days of chainsaws and central heating. I count myself among these unskilled ones as, although I’ve used an axe fairly often, I never learned to hit exactly where I wanted.

The history of the axe goes way back; the tool was, according to Greek mythology, invented by Daedalus (the father of Icarus, who famously fell to his death when he flew too close to the sun with his wax-and-feather wings). Roman author and philosopher Pliny the Elder wrote in his circa A.D. 79 book, Naturalis Historia, that Daedalus had invented carpentry “and with it the saw, axe, plumb-line, drill, glue, and isinglass.”

The first axes were chipped from a chunk of hard stone that was initially held in the hand and was probably used for many purposes. Eventually someone learned to fasten the stone to a wooden handle with thongs or by drilling a hole in the stone, giving him more leverage to strike a harder blow, as well as a longer reach.

As the Stone Age gave way to the Bronze and Iron Ages, axes were made from these materials and became more useful as they could be made with a sharper edge. During these periods, the axe became a common weapon for close combat, with battleaxes being used well into the Middle Ages, when their popularity declined as better swords were developed.

The Native American version

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