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LOT 0318
Greek Iron Short Sword
HELLENISTIC, 2ND-1ST CENTURY B.C.
22 in. (400 grams, 56 cm).
Lentoid in section with two cutting edges and narrow point; slight flare towards the tip; small shoulder and rectangular-section tang.
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
See Esposito, G. Armies of the Hellenistic States 323 BC to AD 30. Stroud, 2019 for discussion; Cf. British Museum accession no. 1868,1025.98 for similar (with hilt intact).
FootnotesThis style of straight, parallel-sided weapon is referred to in Greek sources of the time as a xiphe. It was a secondary battlefield armament after the spear and javelin. It is associated with the revolutionary developments in armour, weaponry and tactics between the Classical and Iron Age periods.
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