{"product_id":"double-bladed-axe","title":"Double-Bladed Axe","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e€750 per piece · Made to order\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA broad double-bladed head on a long haft, accented with red wrapping and a hanging strap. This Archaeopolis design draws its visual strength from the balance of its two opposing blades.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDesign concept and aesthetic direction: \u003cstrong\u003eGeorgios Katsos and Archaeopolis\u003c\/strong\u003e. Handcrafted by \u003cstrong\u003eDimitris Katsikis\u003c\/strong\u003e. The price is for \u003cstrong\u003eone double-bladed axe\u003c\/strong\u003e, as shown in the product photograph.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eYour commission\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial specification, overall dimensions, weight, surface finish and production schedule are agreed with the workshop before production.\u003c\/strong\u003e Please \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/shop.archaeopolis.gr\/pages\/contact\"\u003ediscuss your requirements before ordering\u003c\/a\u003e if the object must meet a particular display or production brief. This piece is made to order; dispatch is scheduled for your commission.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping:\u003c\/strong\u003e complimentary within Greece; €19 internationally under the shop's current shipping rates. Dispatch timing is confirmed for your commission. Photographs record existing workshop pieces; natural surface and hand-finishing differences are part of the individual making process.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eArchaeological comparison\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe museum object below is a comparison of visible form. It is separate from the contemporary Archaeopolis piece offered here.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe Aegean double axe\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Metropolitan Museum of Art's bronze double axe \u003cstrong\u003e26.31.483\u003c\/strong\u003e is catalogued as Minoan, Late Minoan III, approximately \u003cstrong\u003e1400–1050 BCE\u003c\/strong\u003e. Double axes belonged to both practical and ceremonial settings in Minoan culture; miniature examples could be votive offerings. The museum also notes that their precise religious meaning remains uncertain. The comparison concerns the two opposing blades and the waisted outline of the head. The Archaeopolis piece has different proportions and its own haft and red bindings; the museum object does not establish those modern details. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/252403\"\u003eMuseum record\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/252403\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/images.metmuseum.org\/CRDImages\/gr\/original\/DP20712.jpg\" alt=\"Ancient Minoan bronze double axe, Met 26.31.483, circa 1400–1050 BCE; archaeological comparison\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;max-height:460px;object-fit:contain;\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003csmall\u003eArchaeological comparison: Minoan bronze double axe, 26.31.483. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Richard B. Seager, 1926. Open Access \/ public domain (CC0).\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Odyssey: twelve axes, one enduring question\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cstrong\u003eHomer's Odyssey, Book 21\u003c\/strong\u003e, Penelope sets the challenge of stringing Odysseus' bow and sending an arrow through twelve axes. Telemachus arranges the axes, and Odysseus ultimately completes the shot. The passage connects these objects with recognition, skill and the recovery of the household. See especially \u003cstrong\u003e21.75–79, 120–123 and 419–423\u003c\/strong\u003e in the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0136%3Abook%3D21\"\u003ePerseus text\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe physical arrangement has generated scholarly debate. Denys L. Page's \u003cem\u003eA Problem in Homer's Odyssey\u003c\/em\u003e, for example, explores an interpretation involving openings at the ends of axe handles. A modern openwork head may suggest a visual way to imagine the episode, but it does not settle the meaning of the poem or identify Odysseus' axes archaeologically. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/nepub.lib.uoa.gr\/index.php\/epetirisphil\/article\/download\/891\/1034\"\u003eRead Page's discussion\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFrom Homer to Christopher Nolan\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChristopher Nolan's \u003cem\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/em\u003e is a cinematic adaptation of Homer's epic, as described by \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.universalpictures.com\/movies\/the-odyssey\"\u003eUniversal Pictures\u003c\/a\u003e. It offers a contemporary point of entry into the poem and its material world. The reference here is cultural context: \u003cstrong\u003ethese Archaeopolis objects are independently designed commissions and are not presented as props used in the film, licensed film replicas or merchandise endorsed by its production.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSources\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Metropolitan Museum of Art, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/252403\"\u003ebronze double axe, 26.31.483\u003c\/a\u003e, Minoan, c.1400–1050 BCE.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHomer, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0136%3Abook%3D21\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/em\u003e, Book 21\u003c\/a\u003e, especially 21.75–79, 120–123 and 419–423; A. T. Murray translation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDenys L. Page, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/nepub.lib.uoa.gr\/index.php\/epetirisphil\/article\/download\/891\/1034\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Problem in Homer's Odyssey\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, University of Athens digital repository.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.universalpictures.com\/movies\/the-odyssey\"\u003eUniversal Pictures: Christopher Nolan's \u003cem\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, cited solely for the film reference.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMuseum photograph: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/policies\/image-resources\"\u003eMet Open Access\u003c\/a\u003e, public domain \/ CC0.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/historical-axes\"\u003eExplore the other axe designs\u003c\/a\u003e or \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact\"\u003ediscuss your commission\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Archaeopolis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55307317772617,"sku":"AP-AX-003","price":750.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1032\/3476\/5129\/files\/archaeopolis-objects-historically-informed-axes-dimitris-katsikis-003.jpg?v=1789067482","url":"https:\/\/shop.archaeopolis.gr\/products\/double-bladed-axe","provider":"Archaeopolis","version":"1.0","type":"link"}