page_title: Battle axe
section_title: Philippines
hierarchical_section_title: Battle axe / History / Asia / Philippines
caption_attribution_description: English: The blade is a panabas of the Moro people of southern Philippines. The age of the subject example is estimated to be about 50 years old. Rattan bindings serve as the ferrule. Overall length: 840 mm (33.1 inches); Blade length: 412 mm (16.2 inches); Maximum blade thickness: 6.5 mm (1/4 inch) Other uploaded materials by the same author are here: (a) Luzon weapons; (b) Visayan weapons; (c) Moro weapons; and (d) Lumad (non-Moro Mindanao) weapons
context_page_description: A battle axe is an axe specifically designed for combat. Battle axes were specialized versions of utility axes. Many were suitable for use in one hand, while others were larger and were deployed two-handed.
  Axes designed for warfare ranged in weight from just over 0.5 to 3 kg, and in length from just over 30 cm to upwards of 150 cm, as in the case of the Danish axe or the sparth axe. Cleaving weapons longer than 150 cm would arguably fall into the category of polearms.
context_section_description: The panabas is the 19th-century battle axe as well as the chopping tool favored by the Moro tribes of Mindanao. It ranges in size from 60 to 120 cm (2 to 4 ft) and usually 85 cm (33 in) long and can be held with one or two hands. Hilts were often wrapped in rattan bindings or had metal collars. Due to its clean cutting capabilities it was also sometimes used as an execution weapon. It is said that the Moro warriors wielding panabas would follow the main group of warriors up front and would immediately charge in on any American survivors of the first wave of attack during the Philippine–American War.
caption: Panabas
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