# The Archaeometallurgical Evaluation of Three Bronze Socketed Axes, Discovered in Eastern Romania
## 2 Materials and Methods  
### Description of the Artifacts  
The three bronze socketed axes (Figure 1) analyzed were selected from the collections of the History and Ethnography Museum in Targu Neamt, presenting specific differences in shape, size, ornamentation and site aggression/conservation status. The artifacts were discovered in the eastern part of Romania, namely in the sub-Carpathian area of Neamt county (Figure 2), a rich area in salt springs (brine) that attracted prehistoric communities, exploiting the area's resources since the Chalcolithic and which continue to be processed even today [18; 19; 20; 21]. Thus, these bronze artifacts could represent goods obtained after the exchange with salt and may indicate a chief that oversaw and protected the area and the resources. Even if these objects represent accidental discoveries, without a clear context, the archaeometallurgical study could lead to new information about their use and symbolism. Socketed axe A (Figure 1A), inventory no. 4649, was discovered in 1965 on the territory of Tibucani, Neamt County, Romania. The piece was discovered on the bank of a creek, within a settlement of the Noua Culture [22; 23]. The piece has a length of 124 mm, 0.413 kg weight, a blade width of 45 mm, the depth of the fixing orifice is 76 mm, the diameter of the fixing orifice is 35 mm \(\times\) 23 mm, the length of the attachment loop is 37 mm and its diameter is 6 mm \(\times\) 5 mm. The item has a massive body; the upper edge is thick, and it is oval in plane and is provided with a small loop for attaching. The blade is slightly curved, and on the sides the burrs of casting in the bivalve pattern are observed. On the main faces, below the upper edge, there is a perforated alveoli and colorizations/traces of use. The entire surface of the item is covered by a consistent patina, colored in malachite green, dispersed under tenorite layers and sprinkled with small azurite points, in deepened surface areas. From a typological point of view, this artifact can be included, according to some specialists, in the eastern version of the Transylvanian Socketed Axe [24] or in the C3 version (according to a broader classification based on morphological criteria of the  
Figure 1: Images of the three socketed axes and the analyzed areas (**A**) inventory no. 4649 (**B**) inventory no. 2113, (**C**) inventory no. 4650. Figure 2: Geographic location of the discoveries, Neamt county, Romania: **A** and **C—**Tibucani; **B—**Tg. Neamt (Google Earth 2020). socketed axes types from the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age) [25]. More recently, these socketed axes were included in the Rasesti type [22]. Many analogies can be found for this item, especially in the eastern area of Romania [22]. These socketed axes are specific to the Late Bronze Age and were created by the Noua Culture communities. From a chronological point of view, they belong to the Bronzezeit D (Br D) period (according to Reineke chronological system, 14 th-12 th c. BCE). The Reineke chronological system is a Central European periodization system based on metallic discoveries, and according to the synchronisms of these objects form a uniformization from a chronological point of view. Socketed axe B (Figure 1B), inventory no. 2113, was discovered by chance in 1957 on the territory of Targu Neamt, Romania [26]. The item is small in size and has a slightly trapezoidal body. It is equipped with an attaching loop. The piece has a length of 70 mm, 0.142 kg weight, a blade width of 40 mm, the diameter of the fixing orifice is 22 mm \(\times\) 27 mm, the depth of the fixing orifice is 40 mm, the length of the attachment loop is 43 mm and its diameter is 5 mm \(\times\) 5 mm. The upper edge is straight, thick and oval in plane, and it preserves the burrs from casting. Below the edge there is a cast ornament, consisting of six oblique ribs, and on the body of the item, inside the trapezoidal facets, there are four others vertically arranged ribs, which confer certain aesthetics, with a rank attribute [27].