Very unusual SPEAR / LANCE

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Once again a great summary and review Jim . This item certainly does seem to have influences from all over the northern half of Africa . I am just hoping other members out there may have further references and more examples of this oddity.
Regards
Richmond

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Fantastic example Richmond! and Iain and Gav, I think you guys are pretty much spot on regionally. While I honestly am far from up to speed on spears, things like this are so intriguing I want to learn more.
What i do recall is that spears from the Congo have similar head profile, and of course it seems the leaf like profile resembles some Sudanese types also.
It seems that there were configurations of dot like piercings on the Congo example, but I think four, much in the same location on the blade.

The use of brass or gold metal filled dots on blades seems an Arab originated application which has talismanic or apotropaic purpose, or perhaps both.
In Yucel's book on early Islamic swords, many of the blades have varying numbers of gold or brass dots in the blade, said to bring good fortune to the warrior using the weapon. The tradition seems to have of course carried into even modern weapons such as the janbiyya, which often has these kind of filled dots near the hilt on the blade.

Many Tuareg blades are noted by Briggs to have such brass filled dots, often singular, near the blade tip, but although the application remains unclear, it seems reasonable to presume associations to these traditions. Many of the blades described in Yucel are attributed to Mamluk use, and as we are finding, the Mamluk influences throughout the Sudan and into the Sahara as far as West African regions are compellingly present.

I look forward to more comparitive examples and perspective and finding out more on the shortened shaft as well. While of course this seems to have been reduced in length to a stabbing length weapon, and recalling the assagai of Zulu tribes, it is known that stabbing spears were prevalent in the Sudan as well.

All the best,
Jim