Bactrian Mace Head White Stone Dating Third to Second Millenn BC
An ancient mace head, a Bronze Age weapon Contact me with questions or for invoice through the private message form at the top right of this page.
This heavy stone mace head was manufactured and might have been stored in the towers of the city walls where piles of similar weapons were found during the official excavation of the city. Or more likely it was carried with the warrior or the person who felt threatened and needed to carry a weapon. This ancient mace head was found by an unauthorized excavation in recent times. He then sold it to a merchant who went out into the villages of Afghanistan to buy such antiquities to sell in Kabul, Afghanistan, the capital city.
It is now in our collection along with many other Bactrian objects that I will be listing. These objects are identified and described in publications by the various archeologists who were involved in the official excavations in Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.
You will see a photo labeled above as a similar mace head as published in Necropolis of Gonur, p. 109, plate 185, by Dr. Viktor Sarianidi, the leader of the Russian excavations in Bactria and Margiana.
Measurements: 7.2 cm diameter; 6 cm high (2.8 in x 2.3 in)
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A sample of the collection:
I am really fascinated by the mace head, for some reason. Think because the pattern in the stone is so intriguing. And, of course, I have to wonder at who made it and all the hands that handled it. It is such a pale color and looks like it didn't end up whacking someone alongside the head. Thanks for the background behind the piece, Anna!
ReplyDeleteI agree that it was probably found stored for a day it might be needed and never was used. Thanks for the promos of this beautiful weapon made of alabaster.
DeleteI find it interesting too - I would never have thought a mace would be made of alabaster. :) Guess it seems like too pretty a stone for such a purpose. But then again, it seems like a rather small mace. Thanks for sharing, Anna!
ReplyDeleteMary, there is another possibility; this could well have been carried as a symbol of authority on a staff????? It just dawned on me that a real weapon could have been chipped into a heavy ball shaped object and attached to a heavy cord for use in a conflict.
DeleteCould it be part of a ceremonial mace, then? Did they even have ceremonial maces back then? I know they had them in Britain during Elizabeth R's reign, as she holds a mace in some paintings. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I think you are right about that. That is the best explanation for its pristine condition. It might have been found in the tomb of the official who used it in ceremonies. If it had been perched on a wood staff, the staff would have rotted away in all that time and the mace head would be in good condition. The tombs of Bactrian officials were like small, low-ceiling basement rooms with space for what the archeologists call "grave goods."
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