Luristan craftsmen developed great skill in bronze working, producing some of the finest tools and weaponry then available. These include a great number of ornaments, tools, weapons, horse-fittings, as well as a smaller number of vessels. Craftsmen used very advanced techniques to produce these fine weapons which were mainly cast by using three major methods, open moulds, close moulds and lost wax castings. Many weapons were finished with a socket hole, much like this fine example, which would have been the most secure way of fixing the item to a wooden shaft. Cast spike-butted axes are hallmarks of Luristan bronze weaponry during the First Iron Age Period, between 1200 and 1000 BC. Most of the Luristan bronze items have been recovered in funerary contexts, suggesting they had a ceremonial function.
To discover more about the Luristan Empire, please visit our relevant blog post: The Luristan Empire: Beauty of Bronze.
