Book Review: The Minoan Double Axe: An Experimental Study of Production and Use by Maria Lowe Fri

• Main Author: James R. Mathieu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EXARC 2012-09-01
• Series: EXARC Journal
• Subjects: review; axe; experimental archaeology; bronze age; sweden; book
• Online Access: https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10066

British Archaeological Reports has once again provided the world with an excellent publication on experimental archaeology. Maria Lowe Fri’s book is a revised version of her Ph.D. thesis at Stockholm University (2007). As the title indicates, it focuses on the Minoan double axe, providing a review of previous research (typologies and formal analysis) on such axes before exploring the archaeological evidence for double axe production in Crete, where she not only reviews the evidence for axes of different metallic composition (copper, arsenical bronzes, and tin-bronzes), but also explores the nature of their manufacture with moulds, crucibles, and various finishing techniques.