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SET OF THREE ANCIENT BRONZE LURISTAN WAR AXES OF VARYING DESIGN INCLUDING RARE ENGRAVING Central Asia BRONZE AGE: 4000 - 3000 years ago This is an unusual set of THREE elaborate Near Eastern ancient cast bronze war axes featuring different overall typologies of battle axe concepts. One has very rare linear engraved designs on the top and upper edge of the head (see photos). For a diverse collection of ancient bronze Near Eastern weapons, this is a great set of 3 unusual types. They are from the the Luristan culture of the ancient Central Asia Bronze Age. The former Bronze Age empire of the Near East once spanned a large area from what is today eastern Iraq all the way into western Pakistan, including all of present-day Iran and Afghanistan. These excellent specimens have deep encrusted patina with partially exposed dark, rich ancient bronze metal surfaces. All three axes have intact shaft holes for mounting on a wooden handle and would have been deadly effective in combat. The rich red of the oxidized copper combined with the bright green of the bronze patina makes for incredibly beautiful contrasting colors. These specimens have been professionally cleaned and conserved in our lab and are sealed to protect the patina. 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. A fine investment-grade set of ancient weapons from this famous Bronze Age culture. INTACT WITH NO RESTORATION and NO REPAIR. 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. UNUSUAL SET OF THREE DIFFERENT TYPOLOGIES OF WAR AXE DESIGN INCLUDING A RARE ENGRAVED SPECIMEN 4.7" - 4.4" in lengths SOLD LUR034 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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