Leaf Bladed Arrowhead
AWG0000.03.02
Iran, Northwestern Iran; Iron Age I (ca. 1200-1000 BCE)
Material: Bronze
Style: Leaf bladed
Weight: 46g
Dimensions: 13.6cm long (blade 10.6cm long; tang 3cm long, 0.2-2.4cm wide, 0.1-0.8cm thick
Condition: Excellent
Provenance: Unknown
Source/donor: Possibly from the collection of Stuart L. Wheeler
Date of acquisition: Prior to 1990
Other notes: Based on size, this object matches the description of SW 007 on 1990 list entitled “pieces on loan from the collection of Stuart L. Wheeler,” “SW007 Lance Head - c. 1000 BC Persian. 5.25in x 1in”
Research by: Danny Saravia Romero, ’23
Detailed description of form/shape:
Rib Bladed. Elevated midrib with stem, cut or flange, and tang. A flat leaf-shaped arrowhead divided by a midrib. Neck constricts to the tang of the tapering rectangular section.
Comparanda:
A nearly exact match is Object 66-22-39 in the University of Pennsylvania Museum, from Northwest Iran. For similar shape and style, see Khorasani 742, Cat. 463, attributed to Luristan and western parts of Iran. These have a very similar leaf blade shape and tang; however, our object is slightly shorter and weighs less. Other arrowheads of similar shape and style are offered for sale on an antiquities dealer’s website and identified as “Near Eastern,” and dated ca. 1200 - 800 BCE (https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/A-group-of-4-nice-Near-Eastern-bronze-arrow-points/138-group_nice-02.10.21-ancientres). These have a very similar leaf blade shape and tang; however, the tang on our object is slightly longer.
Another dealer lists a point of similar shape and style but with a more rectangular tang, as “Mycenaean” https://www.antiquesword101.com/Antiquities.php#!/Ancient-Greek-Mycenaean-Period-Bronze-Javelin-Throwing-Spear-Head-1500-1100-B-C/p/319825104/category=3736929%20).
Discussion:
This object is an arrowhead with an elevated midrib with stem and tang. Its blade shape is a flat leaf-shaped point divided by a midrib. The most recent label states that the object is a “Mycenaean Lance Point”; however, based on the naming and identification of comparanda, it is likely an arrowhead from Early Iron Age Iran rather than a lance point from Bronze Age Greece. The closest known parallel is the arrowhead in the Penn Museum, from Northwest Iran. It would make sense if this object was acquired alongside the Luristan-style bronze dagger from westernIran. In addition, an older label states that the object is Persian, which fits with an origin in Iran. The point, however, pre-dates the Persian period and belongs instead to the Early Iron Age (Iron Age I-II), when cultures in northwestern Iran and the central Caspian Sea area experienced a “distinctive and sudden change in the material culture which is clearly marked by the pottery” (Overlaet 5).
Among the cultures of Iron Age Iran, shooting with the bow and arrow was not only a very efficient and important weapon on the battlefield but also was an important accomplishment. Different types of arrowheads were used over the course of time in Iran. They came in a variety of shapes and sizes and were meant for use in different settings of warfare. This type of arrowhead is Leaf Shaped and was likely used for piercing armor (Khorasani). Based on the size and weight of the arrow, a long bow would have most likely been used.
Bibliography:
Sermarini, Joseph T., Jr. “Identifying Ancient Metal Arrowheads.” Forum Ancient Coins. NumisWiki - The Collaborative Numismatics Project. Accessed September 28, 2021. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=ancient%20metal%20arrowheads
Howard, Dan. Bronze Age military equipment. Casemate Publishers, 2011.
Hundred and One Antiques. “Ancient Greek Mycenaean Period Bronze Javelin Throwing Spear Head 1500 -1100 B.C.” https://www.antiquesword101.com/Antiquities.php#!/Ancient-Greek-Mycenaean-Period-Bronze-Javelin-Throwing-Spear-Head-1500-1100-B-C/p/319825104/category=3736929
Khorasani, Manouchehr Moshtagh, and Doug Mullane. 2006. Arms and armor from Iran the Bronze Age to the end of the Qajar period.
Lot-Art. “A group of 4 nice Near Eastern bronze arrow points.” Auction 88: Fall Antiquities Sale - Part 1. https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/A-group-of-4-nice-Near-Eastern-bronze-arrow-points/138-group_nice-02.10.21-ancientres
Muscarella, Oscar White. “Iron Age” Encyclopaedia Iranica, online edition, 2012, available at https://iranicaonline.org/articles/iron-age
Salimbeti, Andrea. “Spears - Javelins.” The Greek Age of Bronze: Weapons and Warfare in the Late Helladic time, 1600 - 1100 BC. Accessed September 28, 2021. http://www.salimbeti.com/micenei/weapons2.htm.
Overlaet, Bruno. 2005. “The Chronology of the Iron Age in the Pusht-i Kuh, Luristan.” In Iranica Antiqua, XL:1–33. Leuven: Peeters.
Penn Museum. “Arrowhead, Object 66-22-39.” https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/276432