Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
Axes with stone blades and wooden hafts were used to clear land for planting. This more fragile example, made entirely of chipped flint, is a ceremonial version probably used in rituals before it was deposited in a tomb or an offering. Late Classic Maya vase paintings make the ceremonial associations of axes clear. In these painted scenes, axe-wielding deities dance among skeletons and supernatural animals, or raise the axe to strike a sacrificial victim.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
159867
label
Axe
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
159867
contentType
object
title
Axe
description
Axes with stone blades and wooden hafts were used to clear land for planting. This more fragile example, made entirely of chipped flint, is a ceremonial version probably used in rituals before it was deposited in a tomb or an offering. Late Classic Maya vase paintings make the ceremonial associations of axes clear. In these painted scenes, axe-wielding deities dance among skeletons and supernatural animals, or raise the axe to strike a sacrificial victim.
date
c. 250–900 CE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60755965
genreSpecific
Tools and Equipment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 18 cm (7 1/16 in.)
cul
Mexico or Central America, Maya
accession
1997.17
Source extras
tec
chipped flint
tombstone
Axe, c. 250–900 CE. Mexico or Central America, Maya. Chipped flint; overall: 18 cm (7 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1997.170
collection
AA - Mesoamerica
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:17:39.885000
sourceId
159867
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Mesoamerica
med
chipped flint
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
b05c85e4112e2920