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IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE OF GENUINE AGE PATINA ONLY POSSIBLE FROM THOUSANDS OF YEARS
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INTACT NEAR EAST BRONZE DECORATIVE AXE / ADZE WITH PART OF ORIGINAL PORTION OF 4000 YEAR WOOD SHAFT Northwest Iran BRONZE AGE: 4000 - 3500 years ago This is a complete cast bronze battle or war shaft axe adze from the Luristan bronze culture. It possesses both, exceptional and solid preservation as well as a prized NATURAL GREEN patina. 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. We recently acquired a very old private collection of a former resident of Iran of Luristan bronzes. These pieces were collected long ago and comprised many extremely rare and fine quality examples that have never been seen outside of large national museums. This specimen was one of only two axes that still had an original filled shaft hole. Upon cleaning this specimen, a portion of wood was found in the sediment that was part of the original shaft handle dating back 4000 years! To have a portion of an original piece of the 4000 year wood shaft is actually more valuable than this axe alone as C-14 tests can likely be performed to this specimen for rare proof and knowledge of its origination and date of use. Such evidence to specifically date this artifact definitely carries a premium for the serious collector. There are two pieces of the original wood shaft that will be included with the purchase of this artifact. The wood pieces will be presented with their own glass-top display case to be exhibited with this axe. Custom museum lucite stand shown above is also included for the axe. Axe head has uncommon and elaborate decoration with three beads in circles running down each side of the shaft and a ladder design of lines on the back of the shaft beneath the adze end. Luristan bronze adze / axes seldom have this elaborate decoration. Surface shows some roughness from age and patina but metal is extremely solid and not flaking or cracked in any manner. Exceptional museum-grade patina. A rare and wonderfully decorated axe from the Near East Bronze Age. INTACT WITH NO RESTORATION and NO REPAIR. WARNING: There is an increasingly alarming number of fake, artificially put together and restored Near Eastern bronze weapons on the market. As fine quality intact, original specimens become more scarce and techniques have become more sophisticated, we have personally handled some extremely well-done fakes, as well as composite weapons made from authentic but partial weapons. 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 swords that are made up of an original broken blade welded to completely unrelated handle parts of either another weapon or modern made pieces. Regarding Luristan bronze weapons, because of the numerous original variations in style of intact authentic specimens, it is hard to judge a "Frankenstein" creation on style alone. 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. 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. UNCOMMON ELABORATE DECORATIVE DESIGN WITH CHOICE NATURAL GREEN PATINA TWO ORIGINAL 4000 YEAR OLD WOOD SHAFT FRAGMENTS THAT WERE FOUND IN FILLED SOCKET ARE INCLUDED!!! 5.5" in length $795 R065 INCLUDES STAND Actual Item - One Only |
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