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Luristan Bronze Dagger Luristan Bronze Dagger Luristan Bronze Dagger
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Details

LOT 1508

Luristan Bronze Dagger

2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.

12 in. (151 grams, 30.5 cm).

Blade with a shallow median rib, crescentic pennannular guard, handle with pommel in the shape of a nail head.

Provenance

Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.

Literature

See Godard, A., Les Bronzes du Luristan, Paris, 1931, pl.VII, no.14, for a similar dagger.

Footnotes

This is a type of blade rare among Luristan weapons. The simplest type that appeared to J. de Morgan and Godard in the first excavations of Luristan looked like this: a blade always featuring a median groove, a guard decorated with a crescent, and a round hilt with a nail-shaped head. The hilt was usually filled with organic material, such as wood, bone, or ivory.

CONDITION
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LOT 1508

Luristan Bronze Dagger

Sold for (Inc. bp): £338

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