Doppie asce, agency e rituali domestici nella Creta neopalaziale: una nota

Ritual bronze double axes are amongst the most renowned, yet rare, artifacts in Neopalatial Crete. As such, their ceremonial use, as well as their symbolic connotations, has been widely debated over the years. Against such a backdrop, this paper deals with a limited set of evidence, i.e., the double axes made of a single thin sheet of bronze that were found inside Neopalatial domestic buildings. Their contextual analysis is reviewed. In particular, it is observed that such objects were never found alongside the stone or clay pyramidal bases allegedly claimed to support them on a wooden pole/haft. Rather, by drawing on the representation of individuals carrying double axes on Minoan seals, it is possible to contend that such artifacts were stored separately and were only displayed on occasions such as ritual processions. Furthermore, the lack of bases at settlements (e.g., Gournia) where ritual double axes were discovered and the lack of double axes at settlements (e.g., Palaikastro) where such bases were reported leads one to argue that the two classes had no functional inter-relationship. Keywords: Ritual double axes – Mason’s marks –