Socketed Ax
Unknown Artist
500 BCE–300 CE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H. 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm); W. 7 in. (17.8 cm); D. 7/8 in. (2.2 cm)
Classification
Metalwork
Culture & Period
Thailand · Bronze and Iron Age period
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, 1998
Accession Number
2001.433.149
Art Historical Context
This socketed ax, crafted in bronze around 500 BCE to 300 CE during Thailand's Bronze and Iron Age exemplifies the remarkable metalworking prowess of ancient Southeast Asian cultures. Measuring just 5⅜ inches high and 7 inches wide its compact yet robust form features a distinctive socket—a hollow tube at the base designed to securely fit a wooden handle, making it ideal for both practical use as a tool and as a weapon in daily life or warfare. Unearthed from the region's rich archaeological sites, such artifacts highlight Thailand's early mastery of bronze casting, a technique that involved p...