(Painful as it was, I felt obligated to carry on the longstanding - though sporadic - tradition of this forum’s provocative teasers. To my credit, at least I said “check out” and not “ogle”) And here they are: These are newly acquired spear butts – a.k.a. counterpoises – from Western Asia, most likely NW Iran, early first millennium BC. (I avoid the more generally used “Luristan” designation since it is not always, technically, accurate) Each of these is made of bronze, is socketed, has a square cross-section above the cylindrical socket, and slowly tapers to a point. (The tips are broken on these – and, sadly, one tip suffered further breakage during transit from Europe) One has a grooved socket, two have raised studs ornamentation, and two have triangular motifs on each side of the bases of the points. The longest is just under 9". These are quite rare, and I consider myself lucky to have acquired them. They are the first spear butts added to my slowly growing gallery of “Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia”: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=7069 At least one major reference book (Houshang Mahboubian’s Art of Ancient Iran: Copper and Bronze) lists this type of weapon as a spearhead. Similarly, I’ve seen at least one dealer list this general type as a “ceremonial spearhead.” By contrast, Oscar White Muscarella (Bronze and Iron, Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art), as well as several sellers, list them as spear butts, a usage which seems more likely to me. This description, from one listing, rings true: “The counterpoise has been tapered to a point to act as another damaging force, allowing the wielder to use both ends (of the spear) as a weapon.” As Muscarella writes, “At first viewing one might be inclined to accept these objects as four-sided spears or javelins of the kind known from excavations in Ur, Assur, and Carchemish…and dated to the third millennium B.C. However, (those) examples have a solid tang, while (the type we see here) are round and hollow. This indicates that these objects are in fact spear butts.” (While I agree these types are butts, I believe that Muscarella’s rationale is faulty in that ancient Iranian mercenaries of the late third and early second millennia used both tanged and socketed spearheads…Thus, the fact that this type is socketed is hardly proof that it is a spear butt. But he may well be correct that the form of these evolved from earlier third millennium BC spearheads.) My examples have thick patinas, broken tips, and some encrustations. As butts go, they aren’t bootylicious. Pictured below are prime examples of fully intact specimens, as illustrated in Mahboubian and Muscarella, respectively: I won't invite everyone to feel free to show their butts below since (1) it's doubtful that any here collect these rather esoteric things and, more importantly, (2) such an invitation sounds all sorts of wrong.
Whew, I thought the Kardashians had now invaded the coin forum world. Thankfully we're safe still....for now. Definitely not something I have seen posted here before. Those are really cool and nice write-up.
I'm certainly not going to deny that those are super cool butts! But just to counteract any potential disappointment...
Terrific examples, @Bob L, with equally impressive research. Except, the guess from here is that your resort to the term, 'bootylicious' is likely to elicit the wrong kind of response. ...Unless that was premeditated, vaguely along the lines of intentional irony.
See? Just, See what you did? ...It's a little after 9 pm Pacific time. Which is about the time that I have to wonder, are there people staying up late, on both coasts of 'this great land of ours' (with apologies to, and only starting with, Europeans --no, for All of it), in response to certain recent events in the national media? ...If going overtime is the new normal, that still gets to be preferable to certain, readily available precedent.
Bob L., Congrats on your recent acquisitions, they look like great additions to your already impressive collection of Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia ! Sorry I don't have any erotica to post , but I will post a Luristan dagger that I may have posted in the past that is very similar to a dagger in your collection, see photos below. Luristan Bronze Dagger, Type III, circa 1,200 - 900 BC, 12.75 in. long. Intact with original patina & some incrustation. Unlike the dagger in your collection, this dagger still retains the flanges on both sides of the handle that held the insets of bone, ivory, or hardwood. After enjoying this artifact long enough I decided to add it to a large auction consignment that will appear in CNG - E-Sale 483, sometime in late December of this year.
@Bob L. I really look forward to your posts. They are a pure joy to read. I also really like your passion when it comes to these ancient items. It has always been my belief that the best scholarship comes from a true passion for the subject. Very nicely done my friend.
I know even less about ancient weaponry than I do about ancient coins (and that is saying something). I hope you do not mind a couple of basic questions: -Were these generally used in a "jabbing/stabbing" motion or throwing? -What would be the approximate length and weight of such a spear intact?
Thanks for the nice comment, Andrew. Clavdivs, I don't believe I've come across any speculation about the weight and lengths of complete spears. Heads and butts, being metal, have survived in abundant numbers. (The nomadic horseman who served as mercenaries in the region were often buried with weapons - most of the bronze and iron weapons one sees on the market were from graves) Spear shafts, being wood, have not survived the three millennia, to my knowledge. However, given the great range of sizes of spear tips (heads) in ancient Iran and its environs, I suspect that, accordingly, there was a great range of sizes for the spears themselves. I would think that jabbing/stabbing in close quarters was, more often than not, the preferred usage for the spear. The fact that at least some had pointed butts (thus this thread) suggests design for close quarters combat. Also, arrowheads from the region (and period) are at least as abundant as spear tips. The early tradition of bow and arrow in the region would evolve, later, into the archery prowess of the warriors of Parthia, Elymais, Persis, and the Sassanian Empire. I think that it's reasonable to conclude that bow and arrow were the preferred weapon for distance three thousand years ago in that area.
