Lot 95C
Near East, Armenia, Medieval era, Cilician period, ca. 1198 to 1375 CE; Pre-Columbian, Maya (Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador), ca. 250 to 900 CE. A compelling transcontinental pairing of martial and hunting technology, comprising a Medieval Armenian copper-alloy arrowhead and a Pre-Columbian Maya obsidian arrowhead. The Armenian example, forged in copper during the Cilician Kingdom period, is distinguished by its barbed, trident-like form. Such arrowheads were designed for both piercing armor and ensuring that extraction from flesh or hide would prove difficult, a feature consistent with the warfare of the Crusader and Armenian frontier. Its triangular central spine and extended barbs exemplify the military craftsmanship of the late medieval Near East, where metallurgy and martial innovation intersected in the defense of kingdoms under constant pressure. Size of larger (obsidian): 3.3" L x 2.1" W (8.4 cm x 5.3 cm)
The Maya counterpart, expertly flaked from volcanic obsidian, bears the glossy sheen and sharp conchoidal fractures typical of this prized lithic material. Shaped into a barbed, tanged form, it represents the technological sophistication of Maya lithic artisanship. Obsidian arrowheads such as this would have served dual roles in hunting and conflict, their razor-sharp edges capable of cutting with surgical precision. The use of obsidian also carried symbolic associations with divine fire and ritual sacrifice in Mesoamerican cosmology. Together, these two arrowheads present a striking study in technological convergence across cultures widely separated by geography and time: one the product of medieval metal forging from the Armenian Highlands, the other of stone-knapping traditions from the Classic Maya world.
Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection, acquired before 2000
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#196569
- Condition: Some light surface wear, but otherwise, both are intact and excellent with earthen deposits and patina.
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