A Sardinian early 1st millennium BC bronze axe from Motya

Abstract

An Iron Age bronze axe was found in Motya (Sicily, Italy) in a prehistoric layer dating from the
10th century BC underneath the 4th century BC patrician residency known as “Casa dei mosaici”. The
axe belongs to the double-looped socketed type well known in central Mediterranean in the time span
1200-900 BC, and it is comparable with some coeval Sardinian specimens. The bronze has been
characterised using the backscattering electron signal of a SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and
EDX (Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy). The resulting composition of the metal alloy is Cu-Sn-As with an addition of Pb in some specific spots