The Indus Civilization c8.14

c8.14

The spear-blades used in the Indus cities are an unusual type, the largest, of very thin bronze, being over fifteen inches long and nearly five inches broad. A blade of this description must have been very liable to buckle, and to prevent this a mid-rib of wood, probably made in one with the shaft, was attached to the blade by thongs or wire passed through the metal. Even with this stiffening the edges of such a blade must frequently have been bent out of shape, and it is still a matter for conjecture why the Indus Valley people were so economical in the metal for their spear-blades when both copper and bronze were so lavishly expended on the manufacture of other tools and implements. Certain small, broad blades have also been discovered which are thought to be lance-heads.