Luristan bronze comes from the province of Lorestan, a region situated in the area of modern South-Western Iran. In ancient times a number of nomadic populations, such as the Medes, the Kassites and eventually the Persians, settled in the area. Due to the nomadic nature of the tribes, none of the Luristan bronzes were of great size, since it was required for them to be light and portable. Their artwork mainly comprises ornaments, vessels and weapons. Most of Luristan bronze items have been recovered in funerary contexts. Bronze spearheads of this type have been recovered across all Ancient Persia and featured different shapes and styles as a testimony of the great skills of ancient craftsmen. Ancient Luristan and Persian people described such weapons as ‘aršti’, translating to ‘throwing weapon’ or ‘javelin’.
To learn more about the metalwork of ancient Luristan, visit our relevant blog post: Ancient Luristan and the Luristan Bronzes.
