A pickaxe, also spelled pickax or shortened to pick, is a generally T-shaped hand tool used for digging. Its head is typically metal and is attached perpendicular to a longer handle traditionally made of wood, though increasingly of fiberglass. A standard pickaxe, similar to the related pick mattock, carries a pointed end on one side of its head and a broad, flat axe-like blade on the other, with the whole head following a gradual curve along its length; a second common configuration instead carries two spikes, one somewhat longer than the other. The pointed end is used for breaking apart hard ground and for prying, while the axe end is used for hoeing, skimming a surface and chopping through roots. Pickaxes developed as agricultural tools in prehistoric times and later gave rise to other tools such as the plough and the mattock; they have also long been used in general construction and mining, and have at times been adapted to warfare.
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)Prehistoric (antler picks); used as a weapon in medieval warfare 1 OriginIn prehistoric times a shed deer antler, such as from red deer, was cut down to its shaft and lowest tine and used as a one-pointed pick; during medieval warfare the pickaxe was also used as a weapon. 1 Introduced era (class) In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Pickaxe (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section, prehistoric antler pick sentence
In prehistoric times a large shed deer antler from a suitable species (e.g. red deer) was often cut down to its shaft and its lowest tine and used as a one-pointed pick
History section, medieval weapon sentence
During war in medieval times, the pickaxe was used as a weapon.
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