A brief history of the Pick Axe

3rd March 2020


A brief history of the pick axe


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		Pre-history
		The pickaxe is thought to be one of the oldest tools used by mankind. Its use can be traced back to prehistoric civilizations, and has been associated with everything from cultivation of land to mining and war over the centuries.

		Ancient history
		The relief opposite shows Assyrian soldiers taking the ancient Elam city of Susa (2700-539BC) and depicts them using pickaxes and crowbars to destroy and loot the city.

		Middle age warfare
		The horseman’s pickaxe was often called a war hammer and was a weapon used through the Middle Ages across Europe by cavalry in war. The main use of the horseman’s pickaxe during battle was to tear cavalry from their mounts. Another one of its uses was as a means to pierce thick armour or mail that a standard sword was unable to penetrate.

		However, the horseman’s pickaxe has several drawbacks as a weapon. Its heavy weight made it unwieldy and easily avoided by the enemy. Injuries caused by the horseman’s pickaxe were small and rarely fatal, and if swung with too much force, the weapon could become stuck in the victim or their armour, and be difficult to retrieve.

		19th Century railroad construction
		Railroad pickaxes are the most common type used today. They get their name from their use in constructing The Great American Railroad between 1850 and 1890, which connected the rest of America to the once wild west.

		Mining
		A mandrill, also referred to as a miner’s pickaxe is used in traditional mining, or old-school mining, as it is a mining method involving the use of basic manual tools, like pickaxes. This type of mining was employed throughout the world up to the early 1900s. It is still a mining method employed in some countries today, such as Colombia, Peru and parts of Africa.



		World War One trench warfare
		Pickaxes and their handles were used as weapons in World War One trench warfare. Pickaxe handles were adapted into homemade trench-raiding clubs by both the Allies and Central Powers, and used during night-time trench raiding expeditions as a quiet and effective way of killing or wounding enemy soldiers.