Casting a Bronze Socketed Spearhead — Bivalve Mould Method

The socketed spearhead was a major advance over the flat tanged point — the hollow socket allowed the shaft to be inserted directly into the head, creating a stronger and more aerodynamic weapon. This design appeared across the Bronze Age world from approximately 2000 BCE and remained in use for over a thousand years.

Creating the socket requires a bivalve mould with a clay core inserted between the two stone halves. The core occupies the space where the socket will be, so when the bronze solidifies around it and the core is broken out, a hollow tube remains. This is one of the earliest examples of core-casting — a technique that later evolved into the lost-wax process for complex hollow sculptures.

The leaf-shaped blade is cast with a raised midrib for rigidity, then the edges are cold-hammered and ground sharp. Two small holes at the socket base allow a pin or binding to lock the shaft in place.