Luristan Spear’s Blade with Rat Tail

$631.48

An extremely fine Luristan cast bronze spear’s blade, featuring a large leaf-shaped double-edged blade with a prominent rounded midrib, composed of parallel bands. The midrib flows in a conical, slightly flaring, section at the base, decorated with a ribbed motif. The blade ends with an angled tang, known as rat-tail which would have been inserted into a wooden shaft to reduce further splitting upon use. Blades of this type are more commonly found in the territories of ancient Western Persia (modern Iran) and were used through the late Bronze Age into the Early Iron Age.

Date: Circa 1800-600 BC
Condition: Fine, complete and intact with a beautiful dark olive-green patina to the surface. The piece has been mounted on a custom-made stand, ideal for display.

SOLD

SKU: LD-152 Category: Tag:

Luristan bronze comes from the province of Lorestan, a region situated in the area of modern South-Western Iran. In ancient times a number of nomadic populations, such as the Medes, the Kassites and eventually the Persians, settled in the area. Due to the nomadic nature of the tribes, none of the Luristan bronzes were of great size, since it was required for them to be light and portable. Their artwork mainly comprises ornaments, vessels and weapons. Most of Luristan weapons have been recovered in funerary contexts, suggesting that such weapons would have used not only in everyday life but also with ceremonial purposes.

To discover more about the Luristan Empire, please visit our relevant blog post: The Luristan Empire: Beauty of Bronze.

Weight 646.2 g
Dimensions L 46.4 x W 5.3 cm
Culture

Metal

Region

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