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Piotr N. KOTOWICZ
background to the hypothesis that the axes of Type M decorated in this way and
discovered in the territories of the Western Slavs (also Poland) may have originated in
these regions 57 . However, it is worth mentioning that singles specimens were found
also in England and Germany 58 .
This type of ornamentation is visible on another axe from the Lednica Lake,
belonging to Type Vc according to A. Nadolski. This type was very popular in
Poland 59 . Similarly to the previous cases, the neck of this artefact was decorated with
carving lines on both sides. Additionally, a wide arched carving line appears on the
blade and the beard of the axe 60 (Fig. 5:1). This specimen is dated to the 11 th cent.
Decorated axes of this type are known from Russia 61 and Gotland 62 .
The specimen decorated in the same way was discovered in the Gągnowo Lake,
near Nętno (Drawsko Pomorskie distr., Pomerania) during underwater excavations in
2003. This small axe was found in the remains of the wooden bridge (built after 964),
which went to the island, where there was a ceremonial and trading place. This axe is
ornamented on the left part of the neck. The ornament consists of four vertical carving
lines 63 (Fig. 5:2). The axe itself belongs to Type IVd according to A. Nadolski’s
typology 64 . This kind of ornamentation (Fig. 5:3) can be seen on the preserved
fragment of the axe found in the stronghold in Tum, site 1 (Łęczyca distr., Central
Poland). The artefact was discovered in the 12 th -13 th -century layer, during
archaeological excavations in 1950 65 . More complex ornamentation can be found on
the small (also partially preserved) axe from Sędzin, sites 86-88 (Aleksandrów
Kujawski distr., Kuiavia). Its blade and neck are double-sided ornamented with three
groups of double vertical lines and the motif of oblique incisions on the edges (Fig.
5:4). The artefact was discovered in the early medieval settlement, in the object No.
13, dated to the 12 th -13 th cent. 66
Apart from this group of artefacts, in Polish museum collections there are two
more battle-axes from this period (dated probably to the 11 th cent.), which have the
decoration of carving lines. Unfortunately, we do not know anything about their
provenance. The battle-axes are close to Type III according to A. Nadolski’s
typology. One of them, preserved in the collection of the Archaeological Museum in
Cracow 67 has a single wide line placed on the left part of the hammer (Fig. 5:6). The
second, preserved in the collection of the National Archaeological Museum in
57
Rygh 1885, No. 558; Żak 1967, p. 298-300; Kurasiński 2005, p. 208.
58
Wheeler 1927, p. 26, fig. 11; Unverzagt, Schuldt 1963, pl. 30:c; Żak 1963, p. 32, cat. 33, fig. 7:1; Żak
1967, p. 298.
59
Nadolski 1954, p. 46.
60
Górecki 2001, p. 58, fig. 9:3; Borowczak 2008, cat. 91.
61
Рябинин 2001, p. 43-44, fig. XXIII:9.
62
Paulsen 1956, fig. 29:d-e.
63
Kaźmierczak, Niegowski, Ważny 2006, p. 462, fig. 5:f.
64
Nadolski 1954, p. 44-45, pl. XVI:4.
65
Abramowicz, Nadolski, Poklewski-Koziełł, Wieczorek 2003, p. 62-63, cat. 070b.
66
Maik, Świętosławski, Wtorkiewicz-Marosik, Żemigała 2009, p. 188, 190, fig. 22:12.
67 Nadolski 1954, tab. B/170.