New data on production technology of bronze hoes in the North Caucasus Maikop culture

The collection of 152 Maikop bronze items, which were previously examinedwith the help of contemporary metallography methods, includes two shaft-hole hoes thatstand apart from other items due to distinctive features of their production processes.One hoe was found at Galyugai I settlement; the other was uncovered in grave 70 ofkurgan 1 near the village of Zamankul (Fig. 1). Both hoes were subjected to thoroughvisual and microstructural analyses in the laboratory of the Archaeology Chair in MoscowState University. The results of the analyses enabled the scholars to assess not only theproduction technology but also specific features of their use. The technological cycle ofhoe production included casting blanks in bivalve clay moulds with a flat top and theirsubsequent reworking with hammering. The final hammering of the items is worth notingas the hardening of the blade was used only in forming the hoe from Zamankul (seedifferences in microstructure in Fig. 3). This observation implies that such a tool was,probably, used both in agrarian and construction works. Low hardness of the blade anda small weight of the hoe from Galyugai I suggest that it was used for ceremonial andritual purposes