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Details
LOT 1652
Luristan Bronze Miniature Dagger
12TH-11TH CENTURY B.C.
9 7/8 in. (294 grams, 25.2 cm).
Short dagger with leaf-shaped blade, with a slightly pronounced midrib, expanded handle terminating in an equine protome.
Provenance
Acquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Literature
Cf. Muscarella, O.W., Bronze and Iron, ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, no.389, for the type.
Footnotes
Miniature weapons such as this one apparently functioned as models for actual weapons and may have had a cultic purpose. The hilt of this dagger, if effectively used, should have been flanged for the filling with organic material. Unfortunately, only a few miniature tools and weapons have been found in the archaeological context of the graves, which does not offer clear elements of understanding and comparison.
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