LARGE ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA BRONZE ARROWHEAD PROJECTILE POINT OF THE EARLIEST TYPE FROM THE NEAR EAST *LUR457XX

Product Description

SEE MORE ANCIENT NEAR EAST ARTIFACTS

Made of flat hammered bronze, this is the oldest type of all ancient Bronze Age metal arrowheads.  From the "Cradle of Civilization", this large projectile point tanged arrowhead comes from Ancient Mesopotamia.  The earliest types of arrowheads in the dawn of the Copper Age and Early Bronze Age were simply made of hammered sheet bronze.  Later types of more complex designs were cast.  This example is complete with a full tang and a large broad head blade.  It is of robust thickness to pierce light armor and provide the needed weight for accuracy and distance when launched.  All ancient encrustations are intact with patches of cuprite beneath the copper mineral layers over the surface.

This artifact collection has  been professionally cleaned and conserved in our lab, being treated with a special sealer developed and formulated by us specifically for ancient metal preservation.  The patina shows beautiful traits only found in authentic ancient weapons. There is no active bronze disease.  Bronze disease will literally eat away an artifact over time and destroy it.

WARNING:  There is a STAGGERING number of fake bronze weapons on the market.  Many being sold as "authentic" were never meant to deceive and were made as far back as 100 years ago as exact reproductions for museums to sell in their gift shops.  Other examples are modern fabrications specifically intended to fool unwitting buyers.  As fine quality intact, original specimens become more scarce, the techniques to fake these objects have become highly advanced.  We have personally handled numerous well-done fakes with extremely convincing patinas.  The degree to which the fakers have been able to replicate patina to disguise their work requires an expert examination by highly experienced individuals.  It is common to find very reasonably priced weapons that are made up of part original and part modern components or wholly modern pieces displaying elaborate artificial patinas.  All purchases should include a written guarantee of authenticity from the seller, with unconditional and lifetime return policies regarding such guarantee, such as we provide.

HISTORY

The ancient Near East (including Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent) is considered the cradle of civilization.  The Fertile Crescent is believed to be the very first region where settled farming emerged as people started the process of clearance and modification of natural vegetation to grow newly domesticated plants as crops.  Early human civilizations such as Sumer in Mesopotamia, flourished as a result.  It was here that intensive year-round agriculture was first practiced, leading to the rise of the first dense urban settlements and the development of many familiar institutions of civilization, such as social stratification, centralized government and empires, organized religion and organized warfare.  It also saw the creation of the first writing system, the first alphabet (abjad), the first currency in history, the first law codes, early advances that laid the foundations of astronomy and mathematics, and the invention of the wheel.  During the period, states became increasingly large, until the region became controlled by militaristic empires that had conquered a number of different cultures.

REFERENCES:

Malloy, Alex G. Ancient and Medieval Art and Antiquities XXIV: Weapons. (South Salem, NY, 1993)

Moorey, P. Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum. (Oxford, 1971)