Lietuvos archeologija

The following article discusses the technological analyses of 15 bronze low flanged axes preserved in the National Museum of Lithuania and the Vytautas the Great War Museum. The analyses were carried out in order to determine the quality and functionality of the axes. For the first time in East Baltic archaeology, bronze axes were x-rayed, revealing their casting quality as well as the knowledge and the state of technology the local craftsmen possessed. To acquire more information about the alloys used to produce the axes, chemical analyses were also carried out on some of the axes. Furthermore, traces of the manufacturing process and usage of the axes were documented on the surface of the bronze objects. These traces, especially on the edge of the axes, point to their use as woodworking tools but also as weapons. Due to many relicts of casting equipment from the Late Bronze Age, we can be sure that many bronzes were produced locally. Although some casting moulds are known from the Early Bronze Age in the Baltic States, nevertheless a large percentage of Bronze Age axes may have been imported.