near eastern bronze age ceremonial macehead

A lightly mottled grey stone macehead. The heavy stone head is tapered, with a central piercing for mounting on a wooden shaft.

Ancient Near Eastern Bronze Age: Circa 3rd-2nd Millenium BC.Very Fine condition, with a few patches of light accretion.Height 7.2 cms (2.8 ins).Provenance: London collection 1990's.Literature: Cf. Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003, in Russian, see pl.XXX, no.89, from Megiddo, for similar.Such mace-heads were also found in ancient Chinese tombs. See item 3 fig 10 for the type: The Mace-head: A significant evidence of the early cultural Interaction between the West and East: Li Shuicheng. This mace head would originally have been attached to a wooden shaft and used for ceremonial purposes or as a weapon. Mace-heads may not only have served a purpose in warfare, but also in religious contexts.Mace-heads were a special artifact for the display of status and symbolized authority limited to noble and elite warrior classes. The discoveries in Dorak showed that only the kings were qualified to use maces. In Ancient Egypt and the Near East, many carvings representing mace-head holders have confirmed the unique functions of maces.One of the areas where the largest number of maces has been discovered is the Ancient Egyptian Kingdom in Northern Africa. In the Nubian kingdom in the Upper Nile, mace-heads have been found dating to the late neolithic period. All were made with fine and scarce materials. Such mace-heads were all found in the Levant before they are known in Egypt.All items are supplied with an illustrated certificate of authenticity (COA) which will act as a guarantee that all items are authentic and dated to the period stated.Buyers outside the UK and non-mainland UK need to email us for postage costs before buying. Overseas buyers will be responsible for paying any customs and/or tax charges.

Antiques.co.uk Ref: 7VAB25N8N

Materials:

Stone

Height (cm):

7.2

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