Lochaber ax
| Lochaber ax | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Axe |
| Designations: | Scots ax |
| Use: | Defense weapon |
| Creation time: | approx. 16 y. |
| Working time: | approx. 16th century - 18th century |
| Region of origin / author: |
Scotland , Scottish Clan Warriors , (Clannsmen) |
| Distribution: | Scotland , England |
| Blade length: | average 45 cm |
| Weight: | approx. 3 kg. |
| Handle: | Wood, approx. 150 cm to 180 cm |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Lochaber ax , originated at the beginning of the 16th century, it is a common Scottish variant of the battle ax .
The name goes back to the Lochaber region in the west of the Scottish highlands. The earliest known documentary mention dates back to 1501. An ax blade weighing around 2 to 2.5 kilograms was attached to an average 1.5 to 1.8 meter long handle. The average 45 cm long blade was attached either via a socket or two rings. Mostly oak wood was used for the handle of the weapon. The Lochaber ax was used by the mostly unridden Scots as a cutting weapon and as a stabbing weapon to defend themselves against riders. Have been with a hook on the back of the sheet, the ax could be used as a climbing aid used when climbing walls or in a cavalry - attack to draw the enemy from his horse. The hooks of numerous (especially later) specimens are, however, poorly suited for this due to their close-fitting shape and small size, so that a mundane use of the hook for storage purposes of the weapon, i.e. for hanging on a rod, cannot be ruled out.
Despite the fundamental similarities, the Lochaber ax differs significantly from the halberd . Due to its blade shape, the Lochaber ax is not suitable for the typical halberd attack with downward pulling strokes, which require a backward tilt of the blade, and is therefore closer to the murder ax than the halberd.
literature
- J Waldman: Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe: The Evolution of European Staff Weapons between 1200 and 1650 . Brill , 2005, ISBN 90 04 14409 9 .
- Syed Ramsey: Tools of War: History of Weapons in Medieval Times , Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2016, ISBN 978-93-86019-81-3 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ J. Waldman: hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe: The Evolution of European Staff Weapons between 1200 and 1650. Brill, of 2005.
- ↑ Syed Ramsey: Tools of War: History of Weapons in Medieval Times , Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2016, ISBN 978-93-86019-81-3 .