| Abstrakt: |
In the Pălatca Commune (Cluj County), a prehistoric (probably elk) antler axe was discovered accidentally. It later came into the possession of a collector. The item is extremely rare, which is why we subjected it to analysis in the present paper. The best analogies found are among the Bronze Age items from the current space of Ukraine and Russia. We believe that the closest analogy is the famous sceptre-axe discovered in Dudarkov, which is particularly remarkable due to the numerous zoomorphic, phytoform and geometric motifs incised on its surface, attributed to the Mnogovalikovaja culture. Based on these correspondences, our assessment is that the axe from Pălatca can be interpreted as a sceptre, similar to other antler items already discovered in the Mid- and Late Bronze Age in Transylvania or neighbouring regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
