Spear-butt, spike
Unknown Artist
ca. 1050–1000 BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
7 5/8in. (19.4cm)
Classification
Bronzes
Culture & Period
Cypriot · Early Iron Age
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76
Accession Number
74.51.5318
Art Historical Context
This bronze spear-butt, or spike, from Cyprus dates to the Early Iron Age, around 1050–1000 BCE. just 7 5/8 inches (19.4 cm), this practical yet finely crafted object would have been fitted to the end of a shaft, providing balance, a thrusting point, or protection against the weapon slipping in a warrior's grip. Its simple, functional form exemplifies the utilitarian artistry of Cypriot bronzes, cast using lost-wax techniques that were highly advanced in the eastern Mediterranean during this transitional period. Cyprus, a strategic island bridging Greece, the Near East, and Egypt, flourished ...