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Details

LOT 1633

Western Asiatic Bronze Short Sword with Integral Hilt with Horns

LATE 2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.

20 3/4 in. (466 grams, 53 cm).

With prominently curved guard, which extends out from the ricasso of the blade and partly frames the hilt, thick flat midrib extending slightly above the ricasso where it held the hilt.

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

See similar swords in Muscarella, O.W., Bronze and Iron Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, pp.99-100.

Footnotes

The hilt of such swords was made separately, and unfortunately is nearly always missing from the archaeological records. Similar daggers had a northern Iranian background and excavated examples have been recorded from the South Caspian Area from Tomadjan and Ghalekuti.

CONDITION

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AUCTIONS:

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LOT 1633

Western Asiatic Bronze Short Sword with Integral Hilt with Horns

Sold for (Inc. bp): £195

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