This type of round axe was used in battles in Egypt from the Sixth to the Twelfth Dynasties, and beyond that to the Eighteenth as a tool for trimming trees. The rather thick blade could take a sharp edge, though it would have to be re-sharpened fairly often. The considerable weight of the blade would have been as important as its sharpness in delivering a blow to an enemy.  The lugs would have been attached to a wooden stick by sinew or leather.

Whether this axe was used chiefly in battle, chiefly as a tool, or as both, it sustained damage to the edge and over-all body of the axe from hard use.