Description:

Ancient Greece, late Archaic Period, ca. 500 BCE. A gorgeous example of a cast-copper spear butt known as a sauroter ("lizard killer") from a spear known as a dory (also doru), the chief armament of Greek hoplites. The spear butt features a lengthy, tapered barb on the end and a narrow socketing shaft on the top with one petite dowel hole on the side. The butt spike could be used as its own weapon should the spear break in any fashion, and it was also used to stand a spear up in soft earth or as a minimalist digging tool. Size: 18.625" L x 0.875" W (47.3 cm x 2.2 cm)

Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000

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#159230

  • Condition: Slight bending to overall form, with nicks to areas of socketing shaft and spike, and light encrustations, otherwise intact and excellent. Great earthen deposits and patina throughout.

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October 22, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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