Rumbonių kirvis
Axe of Rumbonys

Summary/Abstract: The article presents an axe with a haft dating back to the Viking Age and the prestate period (Late Iron Age) which was found in the Nemunas River in front of the Rumbonys mound in 1968 and which is currently kept at Alytus Regional Museum (AKM GEM 3211). The following two circumstances drew the attention to the axe: first, the survival of the greater part of the haft – the tool was found in a nearly complete structure; second, the axe was found in the Nemunas River and, possibly, is a witness to the customs of that time. The article provides its parameters, discusses the properties of the shape of the metal part and presents the considerations on determining the length of the haft; an assumption is made that the axe could have been a sacrifice. The article includes the illustrations of the axe under analysis.

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