1884.119.336

Collection type

Object

Description

Bronze socketed spear-head from Cyprus. Late Bronze Age or Iron Age in date. [Dan Hicks 01/05/2012]

Long description

Bronze socketed spear head. “Socketed spearhead. The socket is open and very thin, with no rivet holes preserved. The blade has a pronounced, flattened midrib. Several bits are missing. Similar spearheads can be dated to LC II onwards, with some examples from CG III- CA I.” [Description by Karageorghis, V., 2009, p. 116] [JFK 19/11/2009]

Geographical reference

Cyprus

Asia > Western Asia > Cyprus

Unknown

Person

Maker Unknown Maker

Field collector Luigi Palma di Cesnola

PRM source Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers founding collection

Date / Period

Archaeological period: Bronze Age, uncertain Archaeological period: Iron Age, uncertain

Date collected

By 1874

Acquisition information

Donated: 1884

Materials and processes

Material Bronze Metal, Process Cast, Process Cast

Dimensions

Length: max 232 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1884.119.336 Other numbers: Cypriot Archaeology 157 PR Cat other PR nos: 2605

Research and responses

At a sale at Sotheby's on 1st and 2nd May 1871, Pitt Rivers purchased two lots of metalwork. The sale was of material from the collections of General Luigi di Cesnola. It is possible but by no means certain that this object is from one of these lots. The lots were : Lot 18 'A Spear-Head with its socket ... 10in.' and lot 20 'Two Spear-Heads'. There does not appear to be a metal weapon or blade from Cyprus in the Pitt Rivers Collection which fits the measurements given but it is possible that the measurements were not exact. [MdeA 13 July 1999]

At a sale at Sotheby's on 3rd July 1871 Pitt Rivers purchased three lots of metalwork. The sale was the remainder the General Luigi di Cesnola's collection. It is possible but by no means certain that this object is from one of these lots. The lots were: Lot 62, Lot 63 and Lot 126 and consisted of 22 metal items - ten spear heads, a socketted spear, celts and other unlisted metal items.[MdeA 9 July 1999]

In 1999 samples from the PRM's collection of Cypriot archaeological metalwork were subjected to electron probe microanalysis with wavelength dispersive spectrometry by Peter Northover of the Department of Materials, University of Oxford. The sample from this object was given the sample number 'Cesnola 32' and subjected to three separate analyses, the mean results being as follows: Fe 0.18, Co 0.02 Ni 0.07, Cu 87.24, Zn 0.01, As 0.96, Sb 0.01, Sn 11.27, Ag 0.01, Bi 0.04, Pb 0.04, Au 0.05, S 0.08. For the full results of the analysis, see Peter Northover's unpublished report 'Analysis of Copper Alloy Metalwork in the Cesnola Collection, Pitt-Rivers Museum' (in RDF: Researchers: Northover). [JC 14 11 2008]

Email correspondence today with Peter Northover confirmed that, based on his metallurgical analysis, this object is most accurately described as 'bronze', rather than 'copper alloy'. I have updated the description accordingly [Correspondence now placed on file in RDF: Researchers: Northover] [Dan Hicks 01/05/2012]

Associated publications

Published under catalogue number 157 on page 116 in Karageorghis, V., (2009) Cypriote Art in the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. A.G. Leventis Foundation. [JFK 09/10/2009]

Search terms: Weapon, Spear-head