A decorated axe

This magnificent axe was made from deer antlers. A large part of its surface is covered with circles with a marked centre, forming a characteristic, the so-called eyelet, motif. The axe also bears a puzzling mark resembling the capital letter "T". The lack of traces of wear and the careful ornamentation indicates that it was not an ordinary working tool. It could have been used as an occasional weapon, an object of worship, or a symbol of social status. The axe was found together with numerous fragments of clay vessels at the edge of the marsh. Its proximity to water may indicate that it was a votive offering to the gods. It found its way into the collection of the Szczecin museum in the 1920s. In 1944, as one of the most valuable monuments, it was transported deep into Germany and hidden from the turmoil of war. It returned to Szczecin in 2009 as part of the Polish-German exchange concerning old archaeological collections. Antler axes from the Younger Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (c. 900-600/550 BC) are rare in Pomerania. Apart from the decorated specimen from Ukiernica, only one, from Rozwarowo, more is known. Several similarly decorated axes have been found in northern and central Germany and Denmark. They all have one thing in common - they were made from deer antlers. These animals were held in special reverence from the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age. Their special significance was manifested not only in the production of objects from their antlers but also in making images of deer individually, in a herd, as sacrificial animals, for riding on horseback or as hunting objects. Burials of deer in cemeteries and evidence of ritual burial of whole animals in cavities within residential settlements are also known from that prehistoric period.

Dorota Kozłowska