Projectile?

[Anandalal N.]

Hi Friends,

I have been puzzling over the following item for while. Thought of posting it here to see what ideas / free associations?? might come up.

The object is steel with a rounded javelin type head and an octagonal haft. The heavy rounded head looks like it was intended to shatter and smash what ever it came into contact with.

The silver inlay carries the dash, the cross and the 'v' or the inverted 'v'.

Note the crisscross marking at the begining of the haft. Looks like it was inteded to be attached to something or had something attached to it.

Probably the head of some sort of projectile or pike. But a pike with a rounded heavy head seems pointless unless projected in some manner. At the time it was acquired, the haft had a thin loose fitting metal sleeve about 2 Cm in length.

Provenance - Sri Lanka.

Thank you.

Regards.