thumb|Double- and single-bit felling axesFile:An axe labelled-2edit.svg|thumb|upright|A diagram showing the main points on an axe An axe (; sometimes spelled ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for thousands of years to shape, split, and cut wood, to harvest timber, and as a weapon. The axe has many forms and specialised uses but generally consists of a head with a sharpened blade (also called a "bit") attached to a handle (also called "haft" or "helve").
AI overview
An axe is a tool with a sharpened blade attached to a handle that has been used for thousands of years to cut and split wood, harvest timber, and serve as a weapon. It matters because it has been one of humanity's most fundamental and versatile implements across many cultures and time periods.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
11 sectionsContents
- History
- Symbolism, ritual, and folklore
- Types
- Axes designed to cut or shape wood
- Axes as weapons
- Axes for sport
- Hammer axe
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|Double- and single-bit felling axesFile:An axe labelled-2edit.svg|thumb|upright|A diagram showing the main points on an axe An axe (; sometimes spelled ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for thousands of years to shape, split, and cut wood, to harvest timber, and as a weapon. The axe has many forms and specialised uses but generally consists of a head with a sharpened blade (also called a "bit") attached to a handle (also called "haft" or "helve").
Before the modern axe, the stone-age hand axe without a handle was used from 1.5 million years BP. Hafted axes (those with a handle) date from at least 46,000 years BP by Northern Indigenous Australians. The earliest examples of handled axes have heads of stone with some form of wooden handle attached (hafted) in a method to suit the available materials and use. Axes made of copper, bronze, iron and steel appeared as these technologies developed.