Old African Bident Spearhead Ethiopia Double Pronged Spear Hand Wrought
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Old African Bident Spearhead Ethiopia Double Pronged Spear Hand Wrought :
$225.00
African offerent Spearhead from Ethiopia
A forked spear may be used as a fishing gig or maybe more of a cultural item. Perhaps this unusual is a \"ceremonial\" piece. offerent spears from Africa, usually contain much symbolic value
Notice the spearhead with the unusual offerent configuration, with paired willow-leaf shaped points diverging from a shared base. Other than that, it shares many characteristics with the more conventional spear.
Both spears are decorated with a checkerboard design of alternating sections of bare metal == possibly ricasso. This point has the same long socket and willow-leaf shaped blades, in this case. The twin blades have strong midribs with concave areas left coated with dark-colored oxide.The shape is trim and elegant. Although the points are needle-sharp, the edges are blunted. Would have been used with a 6-7\' hardwood or possibly bamboo shaft. One could pair this with a cane shaft in the near future. Another interesting feature shared by both spears is a neat \"hem\" of sorts at the base of the ferrule. Instead of ending in a ragged or chisel-cut edge, the material is turned on itself for about 1/4\". Makes for a neat, tidy appearance.
Materials: A lightweight piece of steel. Object has a dirty, dusty appearance (would benefit from a light cleaning). The steel is not high-quality and was probably recycled from scrap materials. The ferrule or socket is long, with an opening slightly less than 1\".
I remember seeing a similar spear on display at the Houston Museum of Natural History\'s Lucy exhibit several years ago. A conventional and offerent spear were on display, which leads me to believe they were acquired together. The patchwork design seems diagnostic for Ethiopian spearheads.
Length (overall): About 15\".Length (blades/points): About 7 1/4\".Length (other dimensions): Socket is about 5 1/4\".Width at widest point (blade/point): About 2\" across the prongs at the widest point.Width (other dimensions): Base of points (ricasso?) about 1\".