Bronze Babylonian Arrowhead (6th Cent. BCE)

A bronze trefoil Scytho-Iranian arrowhead, 6th century BCE, end of the First Temple Period. Arrows such as these were used by the army of Nebuchadnezzar who destroyed the First Temple in 586 BCE. The aerodynamic arrowhead was designed for maximum damage — the solid triangular point leading into the arrow’s target was followed by three blades, inhibiting wound closure and increasing blood-loss. Rather than a tang that would fit snugly into the arrow-shaft, the arrowhead was fitted with a socket, giving an increased chance of it breaking off and remaining in the victim’s body.