Bronze spearhead -- myArmoury.com

M Hermes · Posted: Thu 30 Aug, 2012 7:47 am Post subject: Bronze spearhead

Hi,

today i bought this bronze spearhead from a garage sale. It can be placed in a leather scabbard with discription on the back that it was found in Sicily and that it's Greek. The leather scabbard and paper looks like it was made in the 1950s or 60s for the tourist market. The bronze spearhead is 33cm long and weighted 900 gram. It looks old but being placed in a leather scabbard with discription makes it a bit suspicious. what's the opinion over here and does anyone know what type of spear this is?

Thanks

Photobucket image

Jeffrey Faulk · Posted: Thu 30 Aug, 2012 8:43 am Post subject:

I'm *not* an expert, so bear that in mind...

That said, my guess is twofold, but for both options I think it can't be older than the 19th century at the VERY earliest.

First: It's some sort of architectural ornamentation. Looks sort of like the points you'd see on the top of a wrought-iron fence. The end of the 'socket' looks like it's solid bronze, which lends itself to this interpretation; it looks like it's been broken off of something. It's a little too symmetrical as well.

Secondly: Tourist-trap souvenir. The label obviously suggests this. The heavy encrusted patina also looks a tad artificial.

Greek spears would almost always have been a bit more leaf-shaped and flatter. I've never heard of any four-edged spear like this from there.

Now if the socket is just filled with dirt, you might have something a little more spear-like, but I'm still fairly sure this is pretty recent.

Matthew Amt · Posted: Thu 30 Aug, 2012 9:27 am Post subject:

Yeah, my first impression was "flagpole finial". The outline makes me think of a spear buttspike rather than a spearhead, but I agree that the socket looks too narrow. And right, if the socket isn't hollow, it's not a spear part at all. The weight also seems awful heavy for a spear part. I'm assuming the date is pure guesswork--the 4th century BC is pretty late for bronze spearheads, though a few seem to show up here and there. Bronze was still used for buttspikes, but even those were often iron by that point.

Bottom line, I don't recall seeing any ancient spearhead with a cross-section quite like that, so I'd tend to be suspicious.

Matthew

M Hermes · Posted: Thu 30 Aug, 2012 9:52 am Post subject:

The shaft is not hollow, so it's not possible that it was mounted on a pole in this condition. My best guess at this moment is that it was part of something bigger like Jeffrey sugested or a replica made to fool tourist. If it is a tourist "thing" i'm wondering why they tried to replicate something that was never in use as a weapon. It would be much easier to make a mold of a antique existing piece rather than make one yourself!?

Jeffrey Faulk · Posted: Thu 30 Aug, 2012 11:06 am Post subject:

Matthew Amt · Posted: Thu 30 Aug, 2012 12:31 pm Post subject:

Dan Howard · Posted: Thu 30 Aug, 2012 3:13 pm Post subject:

I've seen fences with spikes exactly like this along the top - though usually made of wrought iron..

Eric W. Norenberg · Posted: Thu 30 Aug, 2012 5:18 pm Post subject:

M Hermes · Posted: Fri 31 Aug, 2012 7:54 am Post subject:

I did the magnet test but it's not magnetic. It was cheap so i don't mind that it's probably fake. i learn a lot from "mistakes"like this.
Thank you all for your comment!

Marcel

Marik C.S. · Posted: Fri 31 Aug, 2012 9:22 am Post subject:

Just to clarify something, a non-hollow shaft mustn't be a disqualifying criterion, or is it?
I'm not quite sure but I think I saw some spear from South East Asia on this site with a shaft like this which was to be inserted into a hollow handle.

While I have no doubt that this is a decorative ornament rather than a part of a weapon I'd just like to know whether I remembered that right or not.

Matthew Amt · Posted: Fri 31 Aug, 2012 11:40 am Post subject:

Couldn't tell you about Asia, but European spearheads went from tanged to socketed pretty early (2000 BC?), and never went back. Tangs also tend to be much narrower than that.

Matthew

Timo Nieminen · Posted: Fri 31 Aug, 2012 6:23 pm Post subject:

Yes, there are tanged spearheads. Common in sub-Saharan Africa, southern India, SE Asia, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, ancient Near East/Middle East, North America. But the big round rod on this is not a tang - far too fat.

The spear shaft must be wide enough so that there is enough material around the tang for strength - maybe a hole for round tangs about 1/3 the width of the tip of the (tapered) shaft is fairly normal, and these are usually reinforced by wire/cord/sinew wraps or a metal or rawhide sleeve.

Metal spear butts are usually socketed even in places where tanged heads are common. I don't think I've ever seen a tanged spear butt, but they are used in some places in Africa.