Scythian sagaris, semi-sharp

Product description

This bronze axe is a replica of a Scythian sagaris. Warriors across the Scythian world used battle axes like this between the 9th and 3rd centuries BC. The sagaris was a formidable weapon — effective both on horseback and on foot. Other steppe peoples also carried the sagaris, including the Medes, Persians, Parthians, and Indo-Scythians. Scythian mercenaries serving in Greek and Persian armies wielded it as well.

This sagaris is decorated with a double-headed eagle motif. The motif originated in ancient Mesopotamia. During the Bronze Age, the Indo-European Hittites and the Greek Mycenaeans adopted it, and it later passed to the Indo-Iranian peoples from whom the Scythians descended. The edge of the axe ends in a boar — a common image in Scythian art.

The back of the axe blade features a Chimera. This mythical creature first appeared during the Greek Archaic period (ca. 800–700 BC), possibly shaped by Hittite art. The Scythians likely incorporated the Chimera into their own culture through this connection.