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LOT 0312
Luristan Bronze Spearhead Collection
CIRCA 1000-700 B.C.
13 5/8 - 15 1/4 in. (1.65 kg total, blades: 34.5-38.6 cm).
Group of three tanged spearheads, each with a slender leaf-shaped two-edged blade and midrib, tiered ribbing to the neck, square-section tang with chisel tip; mounted on a custom-made stand. [3]
ProvenanceEx London, UK, gallery, 1971-early 2000s.
London, UK, collection.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13245-252972.
Cf. Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg (2003) in Russian, pl. XXXV, no.21, for the type.
FootnotesSpearheads of this kind were realised by mould casting. They were of different lengths and used by Luristan, Hamadan, early Median and Achaemenid warriors.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
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Very Large Medieval Socketted Iron Swallow-Tailed Arrowhead
Circa 13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
With elongated swept barbs flanking a butted socket. 29.3 grams, 14.5 cm
Acquired from a USA private collector in the 1990s. Ex Buckinghamshire, UK, collection. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
1000-700 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Comprising fifteen tanged arrowheads, four with elongated triangular blades and raised midrib, two of squared type with flat tang, three with barbed shoulders and short cylindrical stem with handle for the shaft; two with squared shoulders and rectangular stem with handle for the shaft, one with leafed elongated blade, one with wide triangular head and long handle for the shaft, and other two long and spiked with raised midrib. 240 grams total, 7.1-16.5 cm
London, UK, collection, 1990s.
Some of the arrowheads belong to type V of the Khorasani classification: subtype D (triangular arrowheads with rounded or angular midrib) and subtype C, arrowheads with elongated, triangular shape with barbed shoulders and convex sides, and a raised midrib with a sharp central line. -
Migration Period Iron Sword with Jewelled Hilt
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,980
Comprising: a spatha-type two-edged tapering blade, lentoid in section with sloped shoulders and short tang pierced by an attachment rivet for the grip; traces to both faces of the blade of wooden fibre from the scabbard; edges lightly notched but substantially complete; the lower guard rectangular in plan and scaphoid in section with inset garnet cloisons, triangular along the lower row and heart-shaped above, rectangular at the top, with small rectangular slivers at each end; accompanied by the upper roundel of the pommel, set with four garnet cloisons. 954 grams, 84.5 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no. 12357-225921. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
These ‘ceremonial’ swords (in reality widely used in battle) with an inlaid guard are, according to Kazanski, Late Roman in origin. The cloisonné decoration was probably linked with the production of particularly ornamented swords in the ateliers of the Roman capital of Constantinople. This typology of weapon was not only produced as a gift for foreign chiefs allied to the empire, but it was also adopted by the Imperial army, and reserved for the Imperial officers, who were often of Germanic or Asiatic origin.
