Spearhead; Luristan, Iran, 800-1000 BC. Bronze. Measurements:... Lot 34

Spearhead; Luristan, Iran, 800-1000 BC. Bronze. Measurements: 47.5 x 5.5 cm. A large bronze spearhead from Luristan with a triangular-shaped blade and a flat, pronounced central rib to strengthen the blade. The weapon shows a long rectangular shank, which bends towards the end before flattening into a button terminal. This "rat-tail" construction inserted into a wooden shaft further reduced the split with the metal. The green patina remains on the surface. The size undoubtedly suggests that this was a piece reserved for high-ranking warriors, nobles or royal personages. The long spike would have been embedded in a groove of a wooden pole and is prevented from coming out by being tied around the shaft and finished in the process by being bent to hold it in place. The Luristan culture developed between the 11th and 8th centuries BC, by which time it had been wiped out by the conflicts in the area during that century. They were a nomadic people from southern Russia, settled on the Iranian plateau and composed of different independent groups, with no national identity but with common cultural characteristics. They developed a rich metal culture, working mainly in bronze. They made all kinds of functional objects from bronze, as well as votive offerings and objects of personal adornment. Their art was figurative, albeit cryptic and deeply symbolic, seeking expressiveness over naturalism. A marked axis of symmetry is always evident in Luristani pieces, as well as an ambiguity of forms and motifs that was a constant in the pieces of this culture, mainly in the figures of divinities.