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Details

LOT 1023

North-West Persian Bronze Short Sword with Blood Channels

2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.

17 3/8 in. (439 grams, 44.2 cm).

Shaped as a two-edged bronze blade, leaf-shape with short rectangular tang with fastening hole, corrugated midrib extending almost to the tip and flared at the shoulder.

Provenance

Acquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.

Literature

See Christie's, Axel Guttmann collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, Part 1, London, South Kensington, Wednesday 6 November 2002, for similar swords with preserved pommel (lot 24) and without (lot 31).

Footnotes

The metalworking techniques used in making bronze weapons in Luristan were very complex. Surfaces were often finished in repoussé work, and some of the weapons were chased and others engraved. Many of the graves dating from the era of Kassite hegemony contain bronze and iron artefacts, including various type of weapons. These swords with shallow fullers tapering to a sharp tip have been dated by P.R.S. Moorey to the end of the 2nd millennium B.C.

CONDITION

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LOT 1023

North-West Persian Bronze Short Sword with Blood Channels

Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)

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