Axehead (side)

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This iron axehead was found in a Viking grave mound at Kildonan on Eigg in the Inner Hebrides. The man was buried with weapons and ornaments from Scandinavia and the British Isles between 900 and 950.

This picture shows the axehead from the side. It is quite thin, particularly at the eye where the haft was inserted.

Viking men, especially those coming from a Norwegian home or background, were buried with a wide array of goods. These often included a range of weapons, tools, personal ornaments and feasting equipment. The richest men had even more.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-000-099-721-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: Kiloran Bay Viking Burial (multimedia essay)
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.IL 167
• Date: Between 900 and 950
  
• Material: Iron
  Axe
  
• Dimensions:
• What: Axe
  
• Subject:
• Who:
• Where: Scotland, Inverness-shire, Eigg
  
• Event:
• Description: Iron axe head of Viking type, from Eigg
  
• References:
  • Graham-Campbell, James and Batey, Colleen E. Vikings in Scotland. An Archaeological Survey. Edinburgh: University Press, 1998, p 84. 
  • Grieg, Sigurd. Viking Antiquities in Scotland (=Viking Antiquities in Great Britain and Ireland, Part II, ed. by Haakon Shetelig). Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co., 1940, p 68. 
• Translations:
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