Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne (11.2016)

ANNA BOCHNAK

SŁOWA KLUCZOWE: grzywna siekieropodobna typu małopolskiego, płac i-
dło, pieniądz przedmiotowy, Małopolska
One of the objects recently acąuired by the Numismatic Cabinet of the National
Museum in Kraków is an axe-like iron bar (MNK VII-V-6361). It was donated by
Mr Rafał Jankę in 2015. Unfortunately, the circumstances behind the finding of
this artefact are unknown. What is known is that the object in ąuestion was part
of a private numismatic collection for morę than twenty years. It was purchased
over ten years ago at a numismatics sale in Bytom, where this private collection
was sold in its entirety. The seller was not able to give any details on where it had
been found, except for the rudimentary information that the artefact came from
somewhere in the western part of Lesser Poland and that there were originally two
morę similar objects, which were smaller and morę corroded. Unfortunately, it is
not known if these three bars were all part of one compact assemblage or simply
formed part of one and the same collection.
The artefact under consideration is in the form of an elongated axe. It was
madę by folding in half and welding a long iron bar. The weld that points to
the use of this particular techniąue can be seen on the upper and lower surface(s)
of the bar. It is distinguished by its very good condition. Its weight is 1.192 g.
The basie dimensions of the object are as follows: total length: 37.5 cm; blade
height: 6.9 cm; min. height: 1.4 cm; max. width: 3.4 cm; height of the hood on
the axe head: 3.4 cm; aperture: up to 2.8 cm. The artefact under consideration has
a precisely modelled back part, with a tear-shaped hole, a massive ingot-shaped
middle part, and a long widening blade. The hole is situated directly at the end
of the ingot. Referring to the terminology used to describe blunt weapons, it can
be said that this axe-like iron bar from the collection of the National Museum
in Kraków has a barely formed “beard” and a distinctly arched hood. The middle
part of the bar, which is rectangular in cross-section, is wider than the back part.
The blade is relatively short, and its length does not exceed one-third of the bar’s
total length. No markings, incisions, or intentional chipping have been found on
the objeefs surface (Table l, Figs. 1-2).
As mentioned above, the object is an axe-like bar. For the early medieval
period, the existence of such artefacts has been documented in several concentra-
tions, particularly in northern and central Europę. In generał, they can be found
in three main areas: the south of Poland, Moravia and Slovakia, and Southern
Norway, with the bars from the Moravian and Norwegian “zones” sharing the clos-
est resemblance in terms of chronology and form.1 The bars from Lesser Poland

ZAITZ 1990: 161; ADAMCZYK 2004: 243, 272; SZMONIEWSKI 2010: 289-292.