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Author Topic: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia  (Read 9345 times)

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Offline Kamnaskires

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New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« on: August 06, 2019, 11:22:51 pm »
Note: Since this thread started, I have changed the gallery title from "Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia" to a more inclusive "Weaponry of Western Asia." The rationale for that renaming is provided in the 10/9/2021 entry in this thread.


My new collecting area is, I suppose, a natural evolution from earlier purchases of bronze Parthian-type arrowheads, which I had started collecting to give my Parthian and Elymaean coins some tangible context. I recently decided to reach even further back into Iranian history, to the regional antecedents of Parthia.

Some History
In the second millennium BC, long before the Parthians dominated the Iranian plateau and, with the Elymaeans, the plains of Khuzestan, the area between the Caspian Sea and the north end of the Persian Gulf was inhabited by diverse groups of people (Kassites, Hurrians, Lullubi, Kutians, Elamites, etc.), some whose ancestors had been in the region since at least 10,000 BC. Other groups - including the Aryans whose descendants would go on to found the Median and Achaemenid Empires in the first millennium BC - more recently migrated to the area.

The people who occupied the region in antiquity produced impressive metal works. According to P. R. S. Moorey (in Ancient Bronzes from Luristan) the metal industry in this area was established “from at least the later fourth millennium B.C.” Starting with the plundering of some Iranian sites in the 1920s, and continuing with sanctioned excavations starting in the 1930s, many splendid metal objects have been found at numerous sites within the region of ancient Luristan in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran, as well as in the Iranian provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran at the southern end of the Caspian Sea. Gilan, which is basically the area corresponding to what would become Parthia-dominated Media Atropatene, includes the archaeological sites of Marlik, Deylaman (Dailaman), Kaluraz, Tomajan, among others. Excavated objects include zoomorphic figurines and finials, bowls, pins, horse bits and other objects associated with horsemanship, and jewelry.

In addition to utilitarian and ornamental sculptural objects produced in gold, bronze and terracotta, many weapons have been found in these areas of Iran. Such arms consist of swords, daggers, dirks (edged weapons measuring between 36 cm and 50 cm - if smaller it's, technically, a dagger; if larger it's, technically, a sword), spear tips, axes, arrowheads, and maces. Three thousand years ago nomadic horsemen who served as mercenaries in regional conflicts would purchase such metal weaponry as they traveled through towns in the area. When they died their weapons were buried with them. As Moorey states, “…even the poorest male graves appear to have contained a few simple weapons; the richest were amply stocked with them.” Accordingly, many of the ancient Iranian daggers, lance blades, and so forth that one spots in museums and on the market, are from graves.

The Generalized Usage of “Luristan,” “Marlik,” and “Amlash”
The term “Luristan” is liberally applied as the attribution for artifacts from the whole region. That usage of “Luristan” may be expedient, but it is certainly not always accurate. Some dealers acknowledge this by placing the word in quotation marks in their listings: “Luristan.” Certainly a percentage of such specimens did not originate in Luristan-proper (which occupied a mountainous portion of western Iran), but may have been products of other, relatively close, Western Asian (and perhaps Central Asian) regions. As Moorey writes, “…there are many tools and weapons reported from Luristan which might well have been made…in Elam, Mesopotamia, or possibly even North Syria.”

Similarly, “Marlik” and “Amlash” are sometimes used for ancient weapons and other wares from across northern Iran, despite the fact that Marlik was actually a single excavated mound in the vicinity and Amlash is a distinct geographical area within Gilan. One also encounters the generalized “Marlik Culture” or “Amlash Culture” in descriptions of ancient objects from the region. Of the two phrases, the former may have more legitimacy. Wikipedia’s entry for Amlash states that the word “Amlash…does not have any real archaeological meaning when used with the word culture.” The impreciseness of such attributions is implicit in a statement like this, from Houshang Mahboubian’s Art of Ancient Iran: “Amlash is a small village situated between the Caspian Sea coast and the heights of the Dailaman (Deylaman) region, but for the art world the name has come to describe all the villages in the area.” Charles K. Wilkinson echoes the sentiment in his Art of the Marlik Culture: “The designation ‘Amlash’ has been used quite loosely as the place of origin for many antiquities that have come from other, sometimes unknown, sites in the province of Gilan.” And again from Moorey: “Unfortunately neither the description ‘Luristan’ nor ‘Amlash’, as commonly used, has any exact geographical or chronological significance.”

Given the looseness with which some of these words and phrases are used, it would seem that a term like “Northwestern Iran” and, occasionally, the even more general “Western Asia” is both safer and more honest for cataloging purposes. Although it is likely that most or all of the weapons in my gallery are indeed from Western Asia – with the majority being from ancient Iran – it is possible that some may be contemporaneous Aegean or Central Asian products. I am bucking the “Luristan” trend – meaning I will not be rubberstamping all items as “Luristan.” Instead I am using “Western Asia” for most pieces in my growing collection. I have decided to only use more specific place names (e.g. “Northwestern Iran,” “Israel,” etc.) when I can, with some confidence, more narrowly pinpoint an artifact’s geographical origins. Furthermore I am using terms like “possibly Marlik” or “probably Luristan” only when my research strongly points in those directions.

Dating the Weapons
The types of weapons in my gallery are generally dated to c.1200-800 BC, although some organic material from a Marlik tomb did date, based on a radiocarbon test, to even earlier, to the mid-15th century BC. (source: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/marlik) Often this type of bronze weaponry is listed with the descriptor “Bronze Age.” However, in Western Asia the Bronze Age ended c.1200 BC. Technically, then, these weapons – despite being bronze – are from the Early Iron Age of Western Asia. Indeed, as clarified in numerous sources dealing with weaponry in the region, the division between the Bronze Age and Iron Age in Iran is based "not (on) the use of iron or the establishment of iron smelting, but rather (on) the changes in ceramics and the presence/absence of settlement continuity in index sites." (Bronze-Hilted Iron Swords from Western Asia at the Department of Archaeology, Hiroshima University by Nojima, Arimatsu, Fujii, Marata, Ichikawa, Fujii, and Morimoto)

More specifically, most of the weapons in my gallery are from the Iron Age I (c. 1200 - 1000 BC) and Iron Age II (c. 1000 - 800 BC). (I don't seek out material from Iron Age III, c. 800 to the formation of the Achaemenid Empire around 550 BC) The oldest item in my collection is the oddball that actually is from the Bronze Age in Western Asia: the one Canaanite blade (AE Dagger #01), which dates to the early to mid 2nd millennium BC.



In my next post I will discuss the challenges of purchasing and cataloging these types of items. After that, I will start posting links to my initial gallery entries.

Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2019, 11:34:55 pm »
Purchasing Ancient Weapons
Buying from trusted dealers is an absolute must for anyone considering a move to this collecting area. Over the past year I have grown to implicitly trust a small selection of dealers who regularly stock authentic weaponry. Although in some cases I pay more when working with these dealers, the peace of mind it provides is well worth the additional cost. The fact is, there are many, many fake Luristani (and Chinese and Greek) bronze weapons on the market, particularly on eBay. Some such fakes are easy to spot – others are much harder. Red flags may include perfectly symmetrical blade bodies exhibiting none of the vagaries of time, completely intact barbs on arrowheads, overly smooth surfaces, evidence of artificial patination, as well as identical looking patinas across entire seller inventories. Notwithstanding the legit sellers in the UK and China, it seems that an inordinate number of fakes, as well as possibly kosher specimens with no provenance provided (one has to wonder about looting with such items), are sold from particular eBay dealers in those countries. Some of these same dealers are listed on the NFSL for their coin sales. To state the obvious: when possible it is advisable to purchase provenanced material, ideally from old, respected collections – and from well established, reputable dealers. I am fortunate in that I was able to purchase some pedigreed specimens from several important ancient weapons collections – specifically, those of Axel Guttman, Shlomo Zeitsov, Walter Steinberg, John F. Piscopo, and Johan Dæhnfeldt.

In addition to forgeries of weaponry, one may occasionally see, on eBay in particular, some horrid bronze figurines listed as Luristani. Legitimate sculptural objects from ancient Luristan are often beautiful and truly impressive in their craftsmanship. Sellers of the dreck should, obviously, be avoided for the purchase of weapons.

Cataloging – Using References
Although most collectors and sellers of ancient weaponry do not provide references to scholarly sources for their specimens, I consider it important to do so despite the challenges that accompany such a decision. There are a number of references that one can use for attribution, including books and articles written by I. N. Medvedskaya, Ezat O. Negahban, P. R. S. Moorey, Houshang Mahboubian, Christian Konrad Piller, Alex Malloy, Oscar White Muscarella, and others. Unfortunately the attribution/citation process can be frustrating since information is piecemeal, spread across many sources - very few of which would qualify as true corpuses. Most are limited in their coverage of weaponry, with many discouraging omissions in their catalogs, to be of consistent help as references. Others are too narrowly focused (on particular aspects of the weaponry) to serve as broader references for attribution - I refer here to publications like excavation reports or articles specializing on some particular variety of weapon, such as penannular guard daggers or "iron mask" swords.

Perhaps the most extensive and profusely illustrated of the available resources that are specific to the historical weaponry of Iran is Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani's Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period. It is a beautiful and large book, with much information and lots of illustrations. Be aware, however: the medieval weaponry of Iran gets greater coverage in the book's catalog than does ancient weaponry.

Typological Similarities Across Distances
Yet another frustration is that, unlike coinage, the precise location of bronze weapons’ manufacture, as well as their specific cultural context and dating, usually cannot be precisely determined. Similarly shaped blades and arrowheads from the period have been found across ancient Iran – from locations that span Elam, Luristan, the Gilan region, and westward into Iraq/Mesopotamia. Typological similarities of weaponry from find spots across the area may be due to travel (as with the aforementioned nomadic horsemen, who likely traveled great distances with weapons in tow) and standardization of types across distances.

And, in fact, formal similarities between weapons may be noted well beyond areas in ancient Iran and its environs. According to N. K. Sandars, some of the region’s tanged dagger blades (Sandars’ Type A) “migrated” west to the Levant around 1900 BC, and from there – via Cretan trade – eventually inspired some types of Aegean daggers and swords. Conversely, according to Moorey (in both Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Adam Collection and Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum), daggers cast with flanged hilts designed to accommodate bone or wood inlays (e.g. dagger #’s 03 and 04 in my gallery), were introduced to Iran from the West in the middle of the second millennium. Whichever way the influence flowed, the point is that the typological similarities may be seen across fairly broad areas, including well west of Iran.

Ambiguous Usage
There is yet another bit of muddiness that one encounters with some of these weapons. Arrowheads were typically quite large in Iron Age I and II in Iran – especially as compared to the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Scythian arrowheads manufactured in the region hundreds of years later. That large scale has resulted in some ambiguity. Similarly shaped large bronze tips from the late second through early first millennium BC are sometimes listed as arrowheads, sometimes as lance/spearheads. As the authors of Arrowheads in the cultural-historical property repository of the Administration of Cultural Heritage of Kerman write, "In any typology of blade-type weapons, differentiating large arrowheads from small spearheads or javelin heads is rather complicated and requires choosing a certain number of arbitrary definitions." (Those same authors selected an overall length of 11.5 cm as the limit for an arrowhead designation.) In addition, similarly shaped tanged blades are deemed daggers in some listings and as lance/spearheads in others. The confusion is evident not just in dealers’ listings but also in scholarly articles and reference books. The obvious conclusion is that knowledge about the particular usage of some of the blades is not fixed. As a result, some of my blades are cataloged as “spearhead (or dagger blade?)” or as “arrowhead (or spearhead?)” when their exact usage – meaning which of these two specific usages – is not certain. Such terms, as used in my gallery, reflect the disagreements I am encountering with regard to usage as I research particular items.

Looking Ahead
As I am new to this collecting area, I am still hunting for a number of things that I have yet to acquire. Among the gaps I hope to fill is a reasonably affordable dagger with a penannular (crescent-shaped) guard enclosing the midrib at the junction between hilt and blade. This type seems to have been prevalent in Luristan and its environs during the Iron Age I and II, but such daggers are usually very pricey when they appear on the market. In addition, there are particular varieties of blades – particular profiles – that my collection lacks. So this will be an ongoing, protracted process.



Primary sources for some of the info above:
Iranicaonline, Artemis Gallery, Art of the Marlik Culture by Charles K. Wilkinson, Bronze and Iron Weapons from Luristan by Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani, Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Adam Collection by P. R. S. Moorey, Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum by P. R. S. Moorey, http://www.salimbeti.com/micenei/weapons1.htm (and .weapons2.htm), and https://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/iss/kap_b/advanced/tb_1_1b.html

With my next post, I will begin introducing items from my collection. I hope to periodically update information here as I acquire new pieces and find time to photograph and catalog them.

Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2019, 12:07:26 am »
AE Arrowhead #01
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157219
This arrowhead was part of lot 27 in Christies Sale 5524, Axel Guttman Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, Part 2, London, April 2004. The lot (“A LARGE COLLECTION OF NORTH-WEST PERSIAN BRONZE ARROWHEADS. 2ND/EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.”) consisted of an ancient bronze bowl with sculptural handles, filled to the brim with arrowheads of this type. A number of the arrowheads have since appeared on the market. Each is similar, with elongated deltoid head and long tang.

AE Arrowhead #02
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157220
Triangular bilobate ribbed head, stem, medium length tang

AE Arrowhead #03
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157221
Bilobate ribbed head, stem and long tang

AE Arrowhead #04
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157222
Rare type, apparently associated with Marlik, with curving “wings” with rounded ends, blade edges convex near point and wings, concave in middle, medium length tang

AE Arrowhead #05 (or spearhead?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157223
Elongated deltoid, bilobate ribbed head, long stem and tang

AE Arrowhead #06
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157224
Bilobate ribbed head with barbs, stem and long tang

AE Arrowhead #07
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157225
Triangular bilobate ribbed head with stem and long tang

AE Arrowhead #08
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157226
Triangular/deltoid bilobate head with shallow wide rib, medium length tang, and interesting delta-shaped gouge on one side (presumably an intentional mark)

AE Arrowhead #09
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157227
Triangular bilobate ribbed head, short stem, medium length tang, small nick in one edge

AE Arrowhead #10 (or spearhead?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157228
Lanceolate, prominent rib, short stem and tang, chipped. This leaf-shaped tip was listed as a spearhead, but fits the description of some ancient Iranian arrowheads.

AE Dagger #01
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157243
This small dagger blade is from the Shlomo Zeitsov collection. It is likely the oldest blade in my collection, dating to the early to mid 2nd millennium BC. It was sold by the collector’s nephew, who reports that it was found in Israel. It is tang-less and has three rivet holes.

AE Dagger #02
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157244
Long triangular ribbed blade, squared shoulders, four rivet holes (two rivets still in place), broken tang. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt collection.

AE Dagger #03
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157245
Flanged hilt with no wood or ivory remaining, blade and hilt cast in one piece

AE Dagger #04
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157246
Flanged hilt with no wood or ivory remaining, single rivet hole in wedge-shaped pommel, low broad midrib, blade and hilt cast in one piece. From an old British collection, acquired in the 1970's.

AE Dagger/Short Sword #01
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157247
Long triangular blade, prominent rib, medium sized tang, with thick point for piercing armor – a feature that was rare in antiquity. Metal bent at one edge of base. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt collection.

AE Dagger/Short Sword #02
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157248
Long tapering form, winged guard extending from the ricasso, prominent midrib, chips along one edge. From a private Danish collection of ancient weapons.

AE Dagger/Short Sword #03
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157249
Rounded shoulders and broad, flat central midrib curving outward at shoulders, tang broken, some roughness, chips, and encrustations. From a private Danish collection of ancient weapons.

AE Spearhead #01 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157229
Ribbed blade with rounded shoulders, slightly concave edges, long tang, broken tip, encrustations

AE Spearhead #02 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157230
Tapering triangular blade with rounded midrib, nearly square (very slightly deltoid) shoulders, and flat tang

AE Spearhead #03 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157231
Tapering triangular blade with slightly rounded shoulders, broad flat midrib, long tang

AE Spearhead #04
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157232
Ovate blade with curved shoulders, sharper tapering near point, flat midrib, squared-sectioned tang with sharp bend at end

AE Spearhead #05 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157233
Triangular blade, square shoulders, broad flat rib, rivet hole in long tang

AE Spearhead #06 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157234
Rounded shoulders, pronounced midrib, slightly concave edges, long tang

AE Spearhead #07 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157235
Rounded shoulders, pronounced midrib, rivet hole in tang

AE Spearhead #08 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157236
Triangular blade with high shoulders that taper greatly toward point, very pronounced midrib, slightly concave edges, long tang with rivet hole. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt Collection.

AE Spearhead #09
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157237
Ovate blade with curved shoulders, sharper tapering near point, flat midrib, and squared-sectioned tang. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt Collection.

AE Spearhead #10
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157238
Ovate blade with curved shoulders, sharper tapering near point, flat midrib, and squared-sectioned tang with sharp bend at end. Ex-Private Danish collection of ancient weapons.

AE Spearhead #11
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157239
Tapered long blade with prominent midrib, sharper tapering near point, round shoulders. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt Estate Collection.

AE Spearhead #12
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157240
Tanged ribbed blade, small stem, straight blade edges at base, then tapering toward point

AE Spearhead #13
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157241
Deltoid ribbed blade, slightly rounded shoulders, long tang with sharp bend at end

AE Sword #1
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157242
Tapering ribbed blade, round shoulders, rat-tail tang, tip missing and end bent (possibly a deliberate act in antiquity)

Offline Jay GT4

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2019, 06:54:10 am »
Amazing collection Robert.  I'll enjoy taking some time to view it all.

Offline quadrans

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2019, 09:10:27 am »
Wow, Bob, it is a great gallery of the Ancient Weapons... +++

Congratulation  ;)

Joe/Q.
All the Best :), Joe
My Gallery

Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2019, 09:16:37 am »
Thank you for the nice comments, guys. Much appreciated.

Offline Molinari

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2019, 12:33:23 pm »
Very cool.  I’d like to get a dagger some day.

Offline orfew

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2019, 04:38:07 pm »
Great writeup Bob and some amazing artefacts.

Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #8 on: August 11, 2019, 07:08:29 pm »
Thanks, Nick and Andrew. I appreciate the comments.

Offline Plumbata

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2019, 05:23:00 pm »
Very nice collection! I haven't studied each piece, but noticed that your Canaanite "AE Dagger #01" is rather more intact than you may fear it is. You state that "It is tang-less (or is the tang broken?) and has two rivet holes" but it actually has three rivet holes and never had a tang, with the minor loss of bronze on the very bottom obscuring the fact that it has a 3rd hole at that spot.

I particularly like the "AE Dagger/Short Sword #02" and see similar pieces offered as spearheads for rather lower prices than short swords tend to fetch. I have nothing to back it up but tend to think that the "winged guard" was integral to and served to help secure such pieces to the handle, and may have looked somewhat like the swords depicted on the "Pylos Combat Agate". Your "AE Dagger/Short Sword #03" is very aesthetically appealing also.

There was a collector on eBay selling off a lot of material from the Piscopo collection that he obtained when it was liquidated; "bungalowbil", and as I recall he had listed but didn't sell some nice West Asian weapons that you'd likely be interested in among other antiquities. Many items came with the original tags in Piscopo's handwriting and I picked up a few of his tagged Chinese pieces. He hasn't listed anything in a few months but it may be worth sending him a message.

Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #10 on: August 26, 2019, 08:48:22 pm »
Thank you, Plumbata, for the comments. Interesting speculation about the “winged guard.” Thanks for the assist in my ex-Piscopo hunt. Coincidentally I recently spotted an auction lot consisting of some Western Asian specimens from that collection, but decided to pass given some possible evidence of bronze disease. (Although it was very hard to tell for sure from the pics)

The info regarding the Canaanite blade is very helpful and serves to support/confirm what some research, subsequent to my gallery upload, turned up. I have adjusted the description for that entry accordingly. Given that most of my artifacts likely originated closer to Iran, that particular blade is really an outlier in my collection.

Thanks again! Best wishes.

Bob

Offline Schatz

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #11 on: September 22, 2019, 11:54:23 am »
What an amazing collection, Bob.  You have taken your interest back by many centuries, therefore it must be so much more difficult to find collectible objects than at your time as a coin hunter.  Also, relevant literature must be so much harder to come by, probably only in university libraries.  An intriguing area of interest, several notches more difficult to satisfy than 'mere' coin collecting.  I often wonder when I handle an ancient coin who held it two thousand years ago, or in whose garment or pantry was it hidden.  You must ask yourself now who was pierced by this dagger, arrowhead, sword, or spear.  Did he die or was he just wounded.  Or which animal was the target.  I once almost began a collection of Luristan bronzes - Guy Clark usually had a few at the Vienna Coin Shows.  The temptation was that you can actually display those figurines and enjoy looking at them every day.  But then I figured it would take too long to become an expert to buy with confidence, so it is still coins in my case.  I admire you for branching out into this special area.
Good luck with all future purchases,
Schatz

Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #12 on: September 22, 2019, 12:15:43 pm »
Thanks for the nice comments, Schatz. It's an intimidating but fun new collecting area, and I'm acutely aware of how much I don't know regarding these weapons. And I've quickly discovered how the literature on the subject can at times be a bit contradictory with regard to attributions and blade usage. Unraveling this stuff is a challenge - not just for the collector, but occasionally also for the scholars, it seems.

I'm hoping for a couple more acquisitions soon, but it will likely be quite a while before I can find the time to document and upload them.

Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #13 on: January 25, 2020, 11:00:30 pm »
Here’s the next round of uploads to the gallery.

AE Arrowhead #11
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159809
Deltoid shaped bilobate blade with long tang

AE Arrowhead #12
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159810
Wide, two-winged tip, ribbed, long tang

AE Arrowhead #13
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159811
Bilobate ribbed head, short stem and tang, one blade chipped

AE Arrowhead #14
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159812
Lanceolate or elongated deltoid-shaped, bilobate ribbed head, long tang

AE Dagger #5
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159813
Triangular blade, very broad at base, with diamond-shaped cross-section, flanged hilt with no wood or ivory remaining

AE Spearhead #14 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159814
This spearhead (dagger?) is from the Marcel Gibrat Collection, sold to me from the estate by his grandson. Gibrat was an art restorer/conservator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is said to have been a self-taught genius with a sixth-grade education, the only restorer who worked for the Met without a PhD. He is remembered as an expert in antiquities. He was also a collector: he began purchasing antiquities, tribal art, Asian art, and European art beginning in the early to mid-1960s. He collected and restored high quality items for the better part of three decades, before falling ill and being unable to work in 1992.

The spearhead (or dagger) here has nearly squared shoulders, slightly concave edges, and long tang with rivet hole.

AE Spearhead #15
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159815
Triangular socketed blade, pronounced midrib, high shoulders. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt Collection.

AE Spearhead #16 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159816
High, round shoulders, central midrib, flat broken tang. Ex- private Danish collection.

AE Spearhead #17 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159817
Another spearhead (or dagger blade) from the Marcel Gibrat Collection. This one has rounded shoulders, straight sides tapering toward point, pronounced midrib, and medium length tang.

AE Sword #2
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159819
My largest blade to date at 54.5cm (21 ½”), it has a long tapering shape with, sadly, the handle lost. Provenance: ex- private collection, Essex, UK.

AE Hilt #1
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159820
One of the various types of dagger and sword hilts used in ancient (late 2nd to early 1st millennium BC) Iran consisted of a bronze cylindrical grip topped by a double disk pommel, with an iron core. This is an example of that type with, unfortunately, the blade lost to time. It features incised decorative patterns. One of my favorite acquisitions so far.

AE Hilt #2
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159821
A sword hilt with bifurcated “double-ear” pommel, square cross-section through grip, with two lattice-patterned bands enclosing a horizontally-oriented linear band which comprise the hand guard; the pommel exhibits a distinctive Luristani "double-ear" motif comprised of two decorated semi-circular "ears" which extend outward from the grip at sharp angles; oxidized remnants of the original iron blade are still visible below the guard. It is from a private East Coast collection.


Hopefully another round of uploads later in the year...


Offline quadrans

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #14 on: January 26, 2020, 03:15:09 am »
Wow, Bob,

It is great... +++

Really great collection 

Congratulation

Joe/Q,
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Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #15 on: January 26, 2020, 08:56:59 pm »
Thanks, Q.

Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #16 on: May 02, 2020, 09:47:26 pm »
Three new additions to the gallery.

The fuzziness of the gallery images has been very frustrating to see, so I am also providing links here to the enlarged versions that pop-up when the gallery versions are clicked on. My hope is that anyone perusing the gallery (including all the images listed earlier in this thread) will take the time to click on the gallery images to see the enlarged versions.

AE Arrowhead #15
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-162772
Enlarged image: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Arrowhead_15_b.jpg

AE Spearhead #18 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-162774
Enlarged image: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Spearhead_18.jpg

AE Dagger/Short Sword #4
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-162777
Enlarged image: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Dagger_Short_Sword_4.jpg


Offline quadrans

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #17 on: May 03, 2020, 02:53:28 am »
Great pieces, Bob  👍

Joe

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #18 on: May 03, 2020, 12:46:27 pm »
I like that your collection is so complementary - the coins and items are limited to an area and theme.

I never had the discipline to stay that focussed.

SC
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Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #19 on: May 03, 2020, 01:29:41 pm »
Thanks for the comments, Joe and Shawn. Much appreciated.

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #20 on: May 07, 2020, 10:12:04 pm »
A very impressive and interesting gallery. Stkp


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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #22 on: October 07, 2020, 09:59:16 pm »
Adding three Western Asian spear butts (counterpoises) this evening. These date - probably - to the early first millennium BC, are likely from NW Iran (they are, generically, referred to as Luristani), and are quite rare. At least one major reference book (Mahboubian) lists these things as spearheads – and, similarly, I’ve seen at least one dealer listing a specimen as a “ceremonial spearhead.” By contrast, Muscarella and some sellers have listed them as spear butts, a usage which seems likely to me. This description, from one listing, rings true: “The counterpoise has been tapered to a point to act as another damaging force, allowing the wielder to use both ends as a weapon.”

Mine are in very rough shape, with tips broken and with encrustations. But I am very pleased to have snagged them and to have them residing in my gallery.

AE Spear Butt (Counterpoise) #1:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166030
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Spear_Butt_1.jpg

AE Spear Butt (Counterpoise) #2:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166031
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Spear_Butt_2.jpg

AE Spear Butt (Counterpoise) #3:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166032
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Spear_Butt_3.jpg

Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #23 on: November 05, 2020, 05:08:31 pm »
Here’s an unusual one. Recently picked up the dagger blade at the gallery links below. It’s a curious one, at least for me. The cylindrical grip and blade are cast in a single piece, and the grip is broken. The roughly shaped open guard, tapering as it does into the grip, is quite similar to bronze examples I’ve seen listed as “Syro-Hittite” (dated to c. 1200 BC) and an iron sword I spotted, that is described as Mesopotamian and dated to c. 1000 – 800 BC. The edges of the blades on these examples, however, were straight, tapering and aiming directly toward their points – whereas the blade on my dagger is slightly convex at its base/shoulders and slightly concave along its length, then rounding to the point, very much like many other Iranian blades of that era. So, whether this dagger originates in the Levant, southern Anatolia, Mesopotamia, or Persia is a question I cannot currently answer. I will definitely be sticking with the generic “Western Asia” for this one.

AE Dagger #6:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166471
Enlargement:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Dagger_6.jpg

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Re: New Gallery: Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia
« Reply #24 on: November 08, 2020, 07:33:54 am »
Hi, Bob,
Again a nice addition...👍

Regards

Joe
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