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Four Greek or Scythian arrow heads

Price: on request
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Object number
AR2498-06
Object: Group of four arrowheads

Material: Massive bronze, lost wax casting production method

Date: About 7th - 3rd century B.C.
(based on typology by Cleuziou, see literature below)

Description:    Four excellently preserved arrowheads. Triangular cross-section with circular opening for mounting.
Although such weapons were typically used by Scythians and are therefore commonly referred to as "scythian arrowheads", they were very popular among different tribes and cultures during the 1st millennium B.C. A reliable attribution to a specific tribe or culture, as well as a reliable dating can therefore only base on the discovery context and stratigraphic data, especially because weapons were commonly re-used in antiquity. After a battle was fought, the valuable metal weapons were collected on the battlefield by the victorious side and used again, sometimes for very long periods of time. Similar arrowheads were e.g. found in Athens, for details see the reference below.

Size: Lengths 20 mm - 24 mm

Condition: Excellent condition, minimal wear or chips originating from the extensive use in antiquity. Stable metal, beautiful patina.

Reference: M. Comstock & C. Vermeule, Greek, Etruscan & Roman Bronzes in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (Boston 1971) Nr. 597 - 600

Literature: S. Cleuziou, Les Pointes de Flèches „scythiques“ au Proche et Moyen Orient, in: J. Deshayes (Hg.) Le plateau iranien et l’Asie Centrale des origines à la conquête isla-mique. Leurs relations à la lumière des documents archéologiques (Paris 1977) 187-199
For an excellent and extensive discussion of so-called "skythian arrowheads" see the work by J. Pesonen, Die dreiflügeligen Pfeilspitzen vom Tell Halaf, Syrien. Untersuchungen zu den sog. skythischen Pfeilspitzen (Bern 2012) and the references therein.

Provenance: Acquired by us 2019 in a traditional Munich (Germany) auction house. Ex German private collection, acquired in the early 1980s.

Authenticity: We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.