A mattock in use to dig out a burrowing pit.

A mattock is an agricultural tool similar to a pickaxe. It is distinguished by the head, which makes it particularly suitable for breaking up moderately hard ground. A mattock has a broad chisel-like blade, which twists so that the side of the blade is pointing upwards. This broad bladed end is effectively an adze that could be used as a hoe as well. If the reverse has a pointed end the tool is called a pick mattock and if it instead has an axe-like splitting end it is a cutter mattock. A combination axe and mattock used for fighting forest fires is a pulaski. In some regions of the southern USA, the mattock is called a "grub hoe." Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 743 KB) A mattock in use to dig out a burrowing pit. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 743 KB) A mattock in use to dig out a burrowing pit. ... There is a suggestion that the words Bunny and Burrow have a common origin and meaning, French in origin appearing in Britain afetr the Norman conquest. ... For other uses, see Tool (disambiguation). ... Pickaxe on the ground Pickhandle redirects here. ... Adze The tool known as the adze [pronounced adds] serves for smoothing rough-cut wood in hand woodworking. ... The hoe is a hand tool used in farming and gardening. ... Axe For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ... Axe For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ... The pulaski is a special hand tool used in wildland firefighting. ...

Mattock heads range from 1.5 to 3.5 kg (3 to 7 pounds) in weight, and are normally mounted on a 90 to 120 cm (3 to 4 foot) shaft. The shaft is often heavier than the head, sometimes possessing twice the mass and density of a baseball bat.

Mattocks are still frequently used for pathwork in hill areas such as the Scottish Highlands, and are used extensively in archaeological excavation. The Scottish Highlands are the mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. ... The term archaeological excavation has a double meaning. ...

During the Middle Ages of Europe, the mattock served as an improvised pole weapon for the poorer classes. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... A pole weapon or polearm is a close combat weapon with the main fighting part of the weapon placed on the end of a long shaft, typically of wood. ...