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MASSIVE ANCIENT BRONZE NEAR EASTERN LURISTAN SHAFTHOLE AXE / ADZE Afghanistan BRONZE AGE: 4000 - 3500 years ago This is one of the largest war shaft axe / adze from the Luristan bronze culture we have ever handled and is the largest we have offered, ever. Its large diameter shafthole indicates it is intended to be mounted on a heavy pole and used with hard impact requiring such a robust shaft thickness. The chopping edges are very heavy and have been sharpened to broad angles which would have made for a durable edge and also ideal to penetrate armor and smash bone. This is an extremely heavy axe and one blow would have been highly effective in even taking down a horse. Such weapons of this heft were rare and likely employed by front line heavy infantry or special purpose detachments of an army. This extremely impressive weapon has been partially cleaned by its original collector long ago but original mineral deposits and copper patina encrustation survived as seen above proving the age and authenticity to this RARE specimen. The density and preservation of the bronze is exceptional. A larger than typical and wonderfully intact axe from the Near East Bronze Age! INTACT WITH NO RESTORATION and NO REPAIR. This specimen has been professionally conserved in our lab, being treated with a special wax developed and formulated for ancient bronze preservation. WARNING: There is an increasing number of fake Near Eastern (Luristan) bronze weapons on the market. As fine quality intact, original specimens become more scarce and techniques have become more sophisticated to fake these weapons. We have personally handled numerous extremely 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 from the dealer a written guarantee of authenticity with unconditional and lifetime return policies regarding such guarantee. The term LURISTAN references artifacts made by a society of semi-nomadic people that once lived in the mountainous region of Northwest Iran. Little is known of this ancient culture but the most impressive traces are that of the bronze artifacts they left behind that can be found in parts of present-day Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. These include highly decorative equipment for their horses, ceremonial containers and numerous weapons ranging from simple utilitarian pieces on up to elaborate masterpieces of warfare. It is theorized that the Luristan bronzes were crafted by the earliest existence of the Median empire but this has never been proven as written records of the Medes have not survived. The Medes were Indo-Iranian people originally from central Asia who settled in Northwest Iran in the 9th century BC and later defeated the Assyrian empire in 614 BC. Their success is short-lived and their empire which once stretched from central Iran to the Persian Gulf and Anatolia was overrun in 550 BC by the Persians. MASSIVE (ONE OF THE LARGEST WE HAVE HANDLED!) NEAR EASTERN BRONZE SHAFT AXE / ADZE - INTACT AND COMPLETE 8.75" in length SOLD LUR016 Actual Item - One Only |
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895 |
