3,000-year-old Bronze Age spearhead mould found in Czech Republic

"Two of these molds would be used together to make a spearhead. The flat sides with the negative impressions would be matched up face-to-face and tied together with copper wire. A casting core was inserted into the opening to create a cavity for the hilt to be inserted into later. It was erected vertically and the bronze poured into the mould."

"It is tuff, volcanic rock indigenous to the Carpathian mountains. Comparisons with other stones indicate it came from the southeastern slopes of the Bukk Mountains, today eastern Hungary. The design of the spearhead, specifically the ribs on the blade and the sharp rib on the sheath, are typical of the Carpathian region."

"Although the stone itself may not look particularly impressive, it tells an important story. It shows that three thousand years ago weapons were already being produced in Moravia on a large scale, using technology that had travelled from far away."

A homeowner in Morkuvky, southeastern Moravia, discovered a rectangular stone while gardening in 2007 that proved to be a rare Bronze Age casting mould. Experts at the Archaeological Institute of the Moravian Museum identified a precisely modeled negative impression of a spearhead on the stone's surface. Two such moulds would be paired face-to-face and tied with copper wire, with a casting core inserted to create a cavity for the hilt. The mould is made of tuff, volcanic rock from the Bukk Mountains in eastern Hungary, indicating it was imported rather than locally manufactured. Spectrometer analysis detected copper and tin residues, confirming bronze casting. The spearhead design features characteristic Carpathian region elements, demonstrating that sophisticated weapon production technology had traveled considerable distances 3,000 years ago.

Read at www.thehistoryblog.com