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LOT 1057
Marlik Decorated Spearhead
14TH-10TH CENTURY B.C.
21 3/4 in. (562 grams, 55 cm).
A bronze spearhead with projecting midribs, long folded socket, decorated by concentric horizontal lines at the base and beneath the blade, horizontal triangles and vertical grooves along the shaft; triangular blade with round shoulders, ornamented by vertical lines running parallel to the midrib; pair of holes on the lower part of the shaft for attachment to a wooden haft.
ProvenanceEx important Japanese collection, 1970s-2010.
LiteratureSee similar typology in Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran - The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, p.626, cat.271.
FootnotesThe spearhead, cast in one piece, belongs to the type VIII, subtype B (triangular blade) of the Khorasani classification. Similar spearheads were excavated by Dr Negahban in the Marlik necropolis (tomb 1, trench III D) and are preserved in the National Museum of Iran, Teheran.
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An iron axehead with sturdy neck and slightly curved triangular blade; socket with lateral flanges and long rectangular extension to the rear. 746 grams, 19 cm
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Medieval Socketted Catapult Dart
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An iron catapult dart formed with a tapering cylindrical socket, square-section neck and barbed triangular head with full-length medial rib to both faces. 94 grams, 29 cm
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Marlik Sword with Decorated Hilt
14th-10th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
A bronze sword with flanged hilt, penannular guard and strong midrib running to the pointed tip, hilt and pommel open to accept inlays, bronze fastening nail still visible in the pommel. 477 grams, 39 cm
Ex S. Motamed collection. with Bellman's Auctions, 20th-26th June 2015, lot 2482. Property of a London gentleman.
According to Khorasani and Negahban, blade and grip of this kind of swords were cast in one-piece mould. The penannular guard was later added to the blade.
