*Flanged* maces?

[Feinman]

Maces were everywhere in the Bronze Age. There is a section on them in my book. The earliest metallic weapon ever found is a copper mace from Can Hasan dating to the late 6th millenium. The "disc mace" was unique to Egypt - Its edge concentrates the blow just like a flange does. Vertical fluting in spherical and piriform maces seems to have been an early attempt to make a flanged mace. They start to appear around 3000 BC. Adding knobs was another variation and saw constant use from this period right through to the end of the Middle Ages. The "truncheon mace" was also used. I can't think of any true flanged maces dating any earlier than the Middle Ages. I listed a sample of ten different maces dating to the end of the Bronze Age with all of their measurements and weights.

Hey Dan,
Just found this:
http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace1.html
Scroll down to see what might be an Iron Age flanged mace.

[daryush]

and an Iranian version in the Louvre.

II'm unaware of any Iranian mace in the Louvre (unless it has appeared elsewhere) - does anyone have any pictures?

Thanks

[Nathan Ross]

I'm unaware of any Iranian mace in the Louvre

The reference that James provides is AO 20433: de Ridder 1915, no. 1189, pl. 68. If that means anything to anyone they might be able to help...

I notice that James also mentions, on the same page (Dura Final Report, p.190) that Arrian (de tactica, 4.9) claims Roman cavalrymen also carry small axes [sic] with spikes all around. Sounds like a mace is what he's describing.

[daryush]

Thanks, I believe that is volume 2 of "Les bronzes antiques du musee du Louvre," which unfortunately doesn't seem to exist in an accessible format anywhere :-(

Do you have a picture of the Dura mace?

[Nathan Ross]

Do you have a picture of the Dura mace?

There's a small drawing of it in the James book, but I don't have access to a scanner I'm afraid. It's a rather jagged angular thing, with squarish points - looks quite a bit like a number of other mace-heads I've seen identified as 'Byzantine' (which could be an aspect of that Romano-centric attitude you've mentioned elsewhere!).

It's made of copper alloy, the description stating: 'Evidently made in one piece, but has the form of three superimposed 5-pointed stars - points alternating... affixed to a bronze haft, remains of which remain in the hole. The spikes in the outer ring are triangular in section, those of the inner ring are rhomboidal'. Dimensions are 65mm height, max diameter 82mm, socket diameter 24mm.

I'd really suggest getting a copy of the Final Report, btw. It's only ten quid plus postage from Oxbow.

[Dan Howard]

Just found this:
http://otlichnik.tripod.com/medmace1.html
Scroll down to see what might be an Iron Age flanged mace.

Yep. Could be.

[daryush]

Simon James' Iranian mace is this one: http://cartelfr.louvre.fr/cartelfr/visit...tice=23339

And the mace in the book is distinctly east Iranian - already well known from Kushan coins. A similar one was found in Pakistan.

Frankly, the more of Simon James' work I read, the more I realise just how limited his scope of knowledge is. He frequently gets things wrong when discussing things across the border - and I wouldn't automatically trust his attribution of some of the less obviously identifiable finds at Dura as Roman.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, this is a trend I find among almost all Roman historians and reenactors when discussing the evidence on the eastern borders.

[Eleatic Guest]

There are half a dozen bronze flanged maces on exhibition in the Iranian National Museum in Tehran (old building, ground floor). IIRC, they were dated to the 1st millennium BC, from Luristan. They are all smaller than a fist. I have half-decent pics.