Western Asiatic Bronze Axehead

LATE 3RD-EARLY 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.

4 1/2 in. (446 grams, 11.4 cm).

With a short socketted shaft, the plain rectangular blade broadening towards the cutting edge; side holes on the shaft.

Provenance

Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.

Literature

Cf. Mahboubian, H., Art of the Ancient Iran, London, 1997, no.402b, for similar; Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003, pl.XIX, nos.72-75, from Luristan.

Footnotes

Unadorned weapons, especially axes, adzes, and picks, were made by Luristan craftsmen using simple clay or stone bivalve moulds, into which a core was inserted to form the socket for the shaft. Typically, the metallic composition consisted of a combination of arsenical bronze and copper, together with a small percentage of lead.

CONDITION

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LOT 1996