LARGE ANCIENT LURISTAN BRONZE SPEAR HEAD FOR ARTILLERY THROWING

ID:
Spear head
FOUND:
Ancient Near East
AGE:
BRONZE AGE: 2000 BC - 1200 BC
SIZE:
15.5" long
CONDITION:
COMPLETE WITH UNDAMAGED TANG AND SHARP TIP. NO REPAIR. LAB CLEANED WITH RESTORED PATINA.
NOTE:
A LARGE, HEAVY ARTILLERY INFANTRY THROWING SPEAR. EXCEPTIONAL EXAMPLE!
:::
Includes Lifetime Certificate of Authentity, Condition / History Sheet
PROVENANCE:
Ex-private New York collection acquired in the 1970's

This is a LARGE cast bronze tanged spear head from ancient Luristan of the Ancient Near East Bronze Age. The impressive size and weight of this example, along with its heavy penetrating blade design, would have been ideal for standoff artillery barrages of thrown spears, to decimate and demoralize enemy soldier formations. The long tang would have been embedded in a groove in a wooden pole and the solid bronze neck provided strength to keep it from bending due to the momentum and force of impact. The heavy midrib would have also keep the blade from bending and allowed armor-piercing capability.

This artifact has been professionally cleaned and conserved in our lab, being treated with a special sealer developed and formulated by us specifically for ancient metal preservation. The patina shows beautiful traits only found in authentic ancient weapons. It is a patina like this that the finest ancient bronzes are prized for and it is a patina like this that brings a premium in price and value of the specimen. There is no active bronze disease. Bronze disease can develop on ancient bronze that is not properly cleaned and conserved. It produces a corrosive powder that will literally eat away an artifact over time and destroy it.

WARNING: There is a STAGGERING number of fake bronze weapons on the market. Many being sold as "authentic" were never meant to deceive and were made as far back as 100 years ago as exact reproductions for museums to sell in their gift shops. Other examples are modern fabrications specifically intended to fool unwitting buyers. As fine quality intact, original specimens become more scarce, the techniques to fake these objects have become highly advanced. We have personally handled numerous well-done fakes with extremely convincing patinas. The degree to which the fakers have been able to replicate patina to disguise their work requires an expert examination by highly experienced individuals. It is common to find very reasonably priced weapons that are made up of part original and part modern components or wholly modern pieces displaying elaborate artificial patinas. All purchases should include a written guarantee of authenticity from the seller, with unconditional and lifetime return policies regarding such guarantee, such as we provide.

HISTORY

With origins dating back to prehistory, the empire of ancient Iran was one of the world's first superpower civilizations by the time it had taken form in the second millennium B.C.. The various cultures that can be included in the former ancient Iranian Empire stretched across an enormous geographical region extending beyond what is called the Iranian Plateau. To gain insight as to just how large this area was, the Iranian Plateau alone, includes Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan and comprises approximately nearly 4 million square kilometers (almost 1.5 million square miles). The area of ancient Iran included not only the massive Iranian plateau made up of the tribes.