The discovery of metal extraction and processing techniques, initially copper and later bronze and iron, became a crucial factor in the development of civilization. It was during the period that the first states formed, military organization developed and professional armies emerged. The advent of metal weapons in the arsenal of ancient warriors is of immense significance.

Metal weapons were much more durable, lighter and effective compared to stone ones and with the discovery of metals, combat weapons became even more distinct from working tools.

Bronze socketed axes appear as burial inventory in the Bronze Age and are quite a rare find. Such axes were used as auxiliary melee weapon since the warhead increased inertia after an impact and the long handle allowed the wielder to keep the opponent at a certain distance.

The socketed axe was typically cast entirely from bronze with the handle made of wood, which has not survived to this day, and the blade was elongated. Sometimes, these axes were decorated with ornaments.

Such metal items in burials served both utilitarian and socially symbolic functions and moreover they can be viewed as a kind of symbol of power possessed by leaders and high-ranking warriors.

The axe was discovered by the expedition of O.A. Shinkar in 2017 near the Nizhnyaya Dobrinka village in the Zhirnovsky District of the Volgograd Region. The axe’s socket is round, the striking part of the axe has a curved shape transitioning from the socket to the blade and the axe blade has a C-shaped form with prominently protruding ends.