Spearhead

Cypriot spearhead with willow-leaf blade and hooked tang. The blade has sharp mid-rib and rounded shoulders with two indentations. According to the archaeological evidence, bronze weapons appeared in Cyprus around 2500 BC. In addition to swords and daggers there were spears with metal points, usually made from local arsenical copper (more durable than pure copper and thus more suitable for weapons and tools), and after 1900 BC from bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. The early Cypriot spearheads comprise a willow-leaf blade (20-50 cm. long) with rounded shoulders, a sharp midrib and a hooked tang, as in the illustrated example. Similar types have been found in the Near East. Some researchers have interpreted the common occurrence of bronze weapons in Early Cypriot graves as indicative of the wealth or prestige of their owners. In several cases the grave ensembles include weapons that have been intentionally bent, a symbolic act to ensure that they were not reused.