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Bronze mould for double axe

Χ1466
Metal (Bronze)
One half of the mould is preserved.
Length: 17.3 cm. Width: 7.2 cm. Height: 2.3 cm.
Vasiliki
House on the northwest hillside
Early Bronze Age. Prepalatial period, Early Minoan IIB period.:
2400-2200 BC:
Gallery:
I
Case:
10
Exhibition thematic unit:
Early Bronze Age - Prepalatial period (3000 - 1900 BC). Settlements and cemeteries - the rise of ruling groups
Metalworking. Cutting-edge technology and status objects
Description
Half of a bronze double mould for casting double axes. The two halves of the mould were fitted together and secured firmly, and molten bronze was poured into the cavity formed between them through a hole in the side of the mould. The shaft hole was formed by placing a wooden core in the corresponding cavity in the mould. This bronze mould is a unique find, as Minoan moulds were usually made of stone. Implements of this type would have been durable, as long as the temperature of the molten metal was not too high. The bronze mould from Vasiliki is one of the earliest indications of advanced metallurgy in early Bronze Age Crete. It may also have been used to make wax models of double axes, as the first step in the process of making metal axes using the lost wax technique.
Bibliography:
Evely, D. Minoan Crafts. Tools and Techniques. An Introduction. Volume II. Jonsered, 2000, 358, 361, 389. Mavrigiannaki, Κ. "Μινωική Μεταλλική Μήτρα από τη Βασιλική της Ιεράπετρας. Η Σημασία της Μεταλλοτεχνίας στη Διαμόρφωση της Μινωικής Κοινωνίας." Κρητολογία 16-19 (1983-1984): 140-176. Seager, R.B. Excavations at Vasiliki, Crete, in 1906. Transactions of the Department of Archaeology Vol. ΙΙ, Free Museum of Science and Arts, University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, 1907, 116-117, fig. 2.
Author:
E. S.


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