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SUPERB VERY LARGE ANCIENT BRONZE NEAR EASTERN PRESTIGE SPEAR HEAD WITH SHOULDERED SHAFT DESIGN Ancient Near East BRONZE AGE: 4000 - 3000 years ago This is an exceptional LARGE shouldered shaft spear head from the Near Eastern Luristan ancient bronze culture. Spear heads of this size and design were the primary stabbing weapons of mounted and infantry soldiers of prestige and noble class. This remarkable specimen features a very beautiful, rich green and olive bronze patina with some mineral encrustation. This is the kind of patina prized by advanced collectors of ancient bronzes also serving as evidence of its authenticity and age. A weapon such as this would have been carried by foot or mounted soldiers and either thrown or used in stabbing attacks on enemy ranks. Ancient Near Eastern bronze spears of this size and design type with the long shaft and shouldered feature are found in much less numbers than the normal tang types or types with sockets. Professionally cleaned and conserved in our lab, being treated with a special sealer formulated specifically for ancient bronze 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. A fine ancient weapon 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. A RARER TYPE THAN CONVENTIONAL SPEARHEADS - AN EXCEPTIONAL PRESTIGE PRIMARY WEAPON WITH SUPERB PATINA 14.2" in length SOLD LUR082 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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