Ave!

Scythia, Double-Headed Axe, Cast Lead, c. 7th- 4th Cent BC, Scarce

Cast Lead; 43mm/7.5gm

Con/ As Cast; unusual brown-colored lead patina

Seller's Note/ Ground-found in Ukraine, near the ancient Scythian city of Gota (Olbia) on the fringes of ancient Greece. Such double-headed axes are associated as part of the bucranium and double-ax cult found in Bronze Age Crete. At a later date, this same cult was imported to the Black Sea region where it was readily accepted by the Scythians.

Such Axe amulets may have been carried in a small pouch or leather bag, but more likely, used as a votive offering during a bull-killing temple ceremony.