McMahan Consulting

Twenty iron axe heads, most in stacked caches, were recovered within or adjacent to the Neva survival camp area. The axes were evidently among the cargo items recovered and cached by survivors. They would have been invaluable for constructing shelters and cutting firewood. The two axes pictured to the right were directly underneath and in contact with a pair of trunnion caps from a cannon carriage.

The axes, while in poor condition, are characterized by a spike or “hook” that protrudes downward just anterior to the handle socket.  This style evolved in Russia or Eastern Europe by the 17^th century and is definitive of Russian axes, particularly during the colonial period (Viires 1969:15-17). Certainly in Alaska, axes of this style are associated exclusively with a Russian (i.e., pre-1867) context.  

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