African Spear Heads

colin henshaw · 17th July 2018, 11:05 AM

As mentioned by kronkew, African spears can be difficult to identify.

The two with many barbs are probably Sudanese. The one in the middle with the large heart-shaped blade, maybe Sahel, Dogon area ? The spear with the fine wire binding, from Somaliland/Ethiopia area. The rest could be from almost anywhere north of the Zambesi. Faceted or squared shanks probably indicate Islamic influence.

Spears south of the Zambesi were usually tanged, although there are some with tanged blades northwards.

17th July 2018, 11:05 AM	#3
colin henshaw Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,429	As mentioned by kronkew, African spears can be difficult to identify. The two with many barbs are probably Sudanese. The one in the middle with the large heart-shaped blade, maybe Sahel, Dogon area ? The spear with the fine wire binding, from Somaliland/Ethiopia area. The rest could be from almost anywhere north of the Zambesi. Faceted or squared shanks probably indicate Islamic influence. Spears south of the Zambesi were usually tanged, although there are some with tanged blades northwards.