Axehead with incised dotted motif

There is a marked increase in the use of metal at the time of the unification of Egypt under the 1st Dynasty, although the relatively soft copper remained the most common variety. This axehead is a fine example of Early Dynastic metalwork. The incised motif may be the outline of a falcon over a rectangular enclosure; this was the hieroglyphic frame for the first name of each king of Egypt, identifying him as an earthly form of the god Horus.