Ancient South Asia, India, Gangetic Basic, Copper Hoard Culture, ca. 1000 BCE. A cast-copper chisel or axe head of a lengthy form with a thick body and acutely angled edges along both ends. This object is part of a rather mysterious tradition. In the 1870s, farmers in northern India uncovered hoards of copper items that had been hidden for centuries. Scholars posit that they could have come from refugees fleeing the fall of the Harappan culture in modern-day northern India and Pakistan; others speculate that these hoards belonged to the indigenous Nishada (also Nishadha) people. Studies on the copper items revealed little use-wear, suggesting that most of these pieces were just made to be deposited in the ground. Size: 12.5" L x 1.4" W (31.8 cm x 3.6 cm)

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, purchased February 22, 2016; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-estate of John Piscopo. Mr. Piscopo was one of the largest collectors of ancient weapons in the US with a collection that spanned all cultures and all ages.

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#140436

Minor oxidation to lower end, suggesting that the piece may have been buried next to an iron object. Minor nicks and chips to both sides and peripheries, otherwise intact and very good. Great patina throughout.