Ancient Mycenaean Bronze Projectile (Large Arrowhead/Speartip) - Mainland Greece, Late Bronze Age, c.1400–1100 BC

This Mycenaean bronze projectile point originates from the Late Bronze Age Aegean world, a period of Greek history before Classical Ancient Greece.

Cast in bronze and carefully hand-finished, the piece exhibits a leaf-shaped blade with a defined central profile and a long tang intended for secure hafting to a wooden shaft. The tang terminates in a flattened, hammered end, a deliberate construction feature designed to strengthen attachment and prevent loosening during impact. The long, inward-curving barbs extend downwards along the upper tang area.

The surface retains a stable archaeological patina with mineralised corrosion and areas of edge wear consistent with prolonged burial over several millennia. Despite this, the tip remains mostly intact and sharply defined, preserving the original functional geometry intended for penetration in both hunting and warfare contexts.

Typologically, this form is consistent with Mycenaean bronze projectile equipment from Late Bronze Age Greece (c. 1400-1100 BC), with parallels known from major Aegean centres such as Mycenae and Tiryns. Similar leaf-shaped and tanged bronze projectile forms are also later attested across the wider Near East and parts of Iron Age Iran, reflecting broader Bronze Age metalworking traditions. However, the construction details and closest archaeological comparisons most strongly align this example with the Mycenaean cultural sphere of mainland Greece.

This object represents Mycenaean martial culture at its height, reflecting the advanced bronze-working traditions that characterised Late Bronze Age Greece and the wider eastern Mediterranean world.

Specimen Details

Culture: Mycenaean Greek

Period: Late Bronze Age Aegean

Date: c. 1400–1100 BC

Material: bronze (cast + hand-worked)

Classification: Projectile point (arrow / spear)

Dimensions:

Total length: 138mm  
Blade length (including barbs): 53mm  
Tang length: 85mm. 

Weight: 19.1 g

Form: Leaf-shaped blade with long tang and barbed shoulders

Manufacture: Mould-cast and hand-finished; tang end hammered flat for hafting

Condition: Archaeological patina with stable corrosion and edge wear; tip intact. No restoration 

Function: Thrown or launched projectile weapon (arrow or light spear/javelin)

Origin: Mainland Greece / Aegean cultural sphere (attributed)

Provenance: From a very old York based collection, North England.