
The epsilon axe is a type of
battle axe
A battle axe (also battle-axe, battle ax, or battle-ax) is an axe specifically designed for combat. Battle axes were specialized versions of utility axes. Many were suitable for use in one hand, while others were larger and were deployed two-ha ...
named for its similarity to the Greek letter
epsilon
Epsilon (, ; uppercase , lowercase or lunate ; el, έψιλον) is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponding phonetically to a mid front unrounded vowel or . In the system of Greek numerals it also has the value five. It was der ...
(ϵ). The epsilon axe was widely used throughout the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, its usage spread from there and grew in popularity to be used in
eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
as well as the
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
. The axe is also depicted in
Egyptian hieroglyphics
Egyptian hieroglyphs (, ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, used for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with some 1,000 distinct characters.There were about 1,00 ...
with the warrior carrying both the epsilon axe and a
shield
A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...
thus leaving some to believe that this weapon was used also as a one handed weapon.
Bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
examples of the
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the A ...
n design are kept in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
. Some historians have called the epsilon axe the "poor man's"
kopesh
The ''khopesh'' ('; also vocalized khepesh) is an Egyptian sickle-shaped sword that evolved from battle axes.
Description
A typical ''khopesh'' is 50–60 cm (20–24 inches) in length, though smaller examples also exist. The inside c ...
, it is possible that the epsilon axe would be assigned to less valuable or
"irregular" infantry while main forces would be equipped with the kopesh.
The axe head was made out of either bronze or copper and it was then fitted on to the haft using
tang
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...
s. The structure of the weapon made its ability to penetrate armour very weak so it would mainly be used against weakly armoured opponents. With the
Bardiche the head of the axe is usually affixed to the haft near the middle or bottom, however in almost all versions of the epsilon axe the blade is attached at three different points: top, middle, bottom. These tangs would be wedged into the grooves of the heft. Then they would be lashed down to ensure a sturdy fit.
The epsilon axe is somewhat more limited than the Bardiche axe in that while sharing the same basic design it lacks a point that extends beyond the reach of the haft. This makes it unable to be used as a thrusting weapon, instead only relying on the power of the swing from the combatant. The edge of blade has taken on many different types of shape but the general construction of it has remained the same over time.
References
*
* Bronze Epsilon Axe at National Museums Liverpool: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/artifact/axe-2
Axes
Ancient weapons
{{Axe-stub