Western Asiatic War Axehead 3rd millennium B.C. A bronze paddle-shaped axehead with narrow neck, socket with discoid hammer extension to the rear. See Gernez, G., L’armament en métal au Proche et Moyen-Orient: des origines a 1750 av. J.C., Paris, 2007, fig.2.16, pls.86-88, for the type. 300 grams, 23.5 cm (9 1/4 in.). Ex important Japanese collection, 1970s-2010. The axe belongs to subtype H2.J.b of the Gernez classification. These axes are characterised by decoration often executed with remarkable care and technical skill. The enlargement and indentation of the back of the collar varies, whilst the shape of the blade is, by contrast, standardised, with divergent rectilinear edges and a straight cutting edge or, more rarely, a rounded cutting edge, as in the example offered here.