Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic. Cast axe head comprising of a tubular socket with ribbed borders, a scroll to the upper edge and bulb below, a collar can be seen above the lower rim. The asymmetrical swept blade has a convex edge. Bronze weaponry production flourished from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, mace heads, spears and arrows were exchanged via trade and war and are discovered in both civic and ritual contexts. An axe head such as this one would have been an important symbol of rank, and have served a purpose in warfare, but also in religious contexts as mace heads were common votive offerings in shrines. Cast butted axes are hallmarks of Western-Asiatic bronze weaponry during the First Iron Age Period, between 1200 and 1000 BC. Most of Western-Asiatic bronze items have been recovered in funerary contexts. Custom made stand included. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old London collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:82mm / W:84mm ; 135g