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LOT 1798
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
14TH-10TH CENTURY B.C.
1 5/8 - 4 in. (159 grams total, 4.2-10.3 cm).
Mixed group of tanged arrowheads, nine with barbed shoulders, two with lanceolate heads, three with triangular heads, one spiked and one with a pyramidal head. [16]
ProvenanceLondon, UK, collection, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, fig.466, for arrowheads with jet-like wings.
FootnotesThe majority of the arrowheads belong to type IV of the Khorasani classification. They resemble a stylised flying bird, such as a swallow.
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AUCTIONS:
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Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Comprising five tanged arrowheads with raised midribs, one with barbed shoulders. 150 grams total, 11.7-15.4 cm
London, UK, collection, 1990s.
One category of the represented arrowheads has a sharp blade, the ends of which extend to form wings or barbs, and a prominent midrib extending into a long tang that often has a stop; the blade shape varies from deltoid to more triangular. Another form has no barbs, but it has a prominent midrib and triangular blade, with a stop at the tang. -
Greek Lead Slingshot with Inscriptions
4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Lenticular type with casting seam to the rim, raised 'Μ...ΝΗΣ' legend. 25.5 grams, 28 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
The leaden bullets, which were thrown from slings, were called in Greek Molivdainai (μολύβδαιναι), and in Latin glandes; the former indicating the material ‘lead’, the latter the shape ‘acorns’. These bullets were cast in a mould and bore letters or devices, or both, on two sides or on only one. In form, they were more like an almond than an acorn, but many are pointed at both ends; in size, they are generally about one and a half inches in maximum length, and under one inch in maximum width. -
Greek and Scythian Bronze Arrowhead Collection
Circa 5th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
A mixed group of socketted and tanged arrowheads. 180 grams total, 16-52 mm
London, UK, collection, 1990s.
In ancient Greek warfare, archers were mainly employed by Scythians and Cretans. Both used composite bows made of wood, horn, bone and sinew. This explains the great range of Scythian arrowheads found on the Greek sites.
