Description:

Pre-Columbian, Mexico and Guatemala, Mayan Territories, Late Classic, ca. 550 to 900 CE. Three dark greenstone, hand-carved and hand-polished stone hand axes, also known as celts. The stone appears to be green river cobbles, with swirling patterns on their surfaces. These items seem to have been made purely for ceremony. For example, at the Classic Maya city of Aguateca, one of the structures is known as the House of Axes because over twenty hand-axes like these were found in excavations there. That same city yielded axes only from high status dwellings, implying that ordinary people did not have access to these beautiful objects. Size of largest: 4.8" L x 2.3" W x 0.9" H (12.2 cm x 5.8 cm x 2.3 cm)

Provenance: ex Historia Antiques, Santa Monica, California, USA, ex James Caswell collection

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#124453

  • Condition: Small ancient losses to edges.

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July 11, 2017 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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