Marlik Bronze Short Sword

The grip decorated with horizontal flat grooves and raised aediculae, crescentic guard, long blade with ridged flat mid-grip. 508 grams, 51.1 cm



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.

This category of swords has been classified by Khorasani as 'swords with a mushroom pommel' and are usually characterised by a solid-cast hilt with a penannular guard, a ribbed or variously decorated grip and a conical hollow-cast mushroom pommel, here lost. Usually the blade is multi-fullered and tapers to a sharp tip. Moorey considers them to be from the end of the 2nd millennium B.C. Gorelik extends the dating to the 8th-7th century B.C.

Comprising a double-edged sword, the blade terminating in a round point, a shallow groove running along both sides of the blade, lozenge-section grip with four edges; supplied with a curved guard and a small cylindrical pommel; the scabbard with edged borders and the slide scabbard for the fastening of the suspension chain. 1.06 kg total, 64-76 cm



Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The sword belongs to the period of the last Celtic deeds in Europe, when their warriors succeededin sacking the Holy Sanctuary of Delphi in Greece. Livy, based upon the text of Polybius generically speaks of 'Gallica arma' and 'ferrum', the latter synonymous of a sword (Livy, XXI, 42, 1-4). Diodorus tells us that the swords were worn by the Celts on the right side, hanging from a belt tied around his waist and were not carried hanging from a baldric over the shoulder like the Greeks or the Etruscans (V, 30, 3). He describes (V, 29 and 30) the fighting techniques of the Celts (combat chariot) and a list of all the weapons used: shields as tall as a man which exhibit embossed figures of animals in rolled brass with both decorative and protective function; the brass helmets with high crests, horns, or with figures of birds and quadrupeds to the top; a chainmail armour in iron; long swords hanging from the right side by means of iron and bronze chain; spears; javelins; war trumpets with hoarse sounds; and gold or silver plated belts.

Short dagger with leaf-shaped blade, with a slightly pronounced midrib, expanded handle terminating in an equine protome. 294 grams, 25.2 cm



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.

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.