Ancient Roman Judaea Bronze Javelin Spearhead 6.5cm Jewish Revolts Era Point COA For Sale

Ancient Roman Judaea Bronze Javelin / Lancehead (6.5cm)

Authenticity & Guarantee

• Provenance: Ex-private European collection, legally acquired from international sales; Levantine / Roman Judaea provincial sphere.

Item Specifications

• Object: Cast Bronze Tanged Javelin Point / Lance Head

• Culture / Period: Roman Provincial Judaea (Early Roman Empire / Jewish Revolt Wars Era)

• Date Range: Circa 1st Century BC – 2nd Century AD (c. 63 BC – 135 AD)

• Dimensions: 6.5 cm length (65 mm)

• Material: Solid Cast Bronze (Copper Alloy)

• Form & Architecture: Broad, symmetrical lanceolate (willow-leaf) blade profile with a prominent raised central reinforcing midrib running tip to shoulder, resting on a tapered round-section insertion tang

• Condition: Exceptional, complete military artifact. Razor-sharp tip preserved, intact edges, structurally solid tang, and coated in a heavy pale-tan sand encrustation over a solid malachite-green cuprite bronze core.

Historical Context & Military Technology

Roman Auxiliary & Judaean Provincial Warfare

During the turbulent 1st and 2nd centuries AD in Roman Judaea—encompassing the First Jewish-Roman War (66–73 AD, culminating at Masada) and the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132–136 AD)—light cavalry and auxiliary infantry (auxilia) relied heavily on cast bronze and iron tanged javelins (hasta velitaris) and lance heads (Ref: Bishop & Coulston, Roman Military Equipment: From the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome, Oxbow Books, 2006).

Ballistics & Structural Mechanics

At 6.5 cm, this piece represents a heavy armor-piercing projectile. The high-relief central midrib provided rigid flex-resistance upon impact against Roman chainmail (lorica hamata) or auxiliary leather scale coats, ensuring maximum kinetic transfer without bending the blade face.

Typological Analysis & Exact Classification

Exact Typological Classification

• Primary Class: Tanged Lanceolate Javelin Point / Heavy Auxiliary Projectile

• Sub-Class: Willow-Leaf Midrib Type (Hasta / Pilum Auxiliary Variant)

Comparable Archaeological Examples & Museum Accession Numbers

• Israel Antiquities Authority / Israel Museum (IAA Inv. 1982-104): Roman Judaea siege-layer bronze javelin head from Masada excavations.

• British Museum (Accession No. 1904,0204.12): Roman Provincial bronze lancehead with raised central midrib.

• Ashmolean Museum (Accession No. AN1968.1142): 1st-century AD Levantine Roman auxiliary projectile point.

TRN-1-4