An exceptionally fine short sword in heavy bronze. The sword has a one-piece handle with crescent shaped hilt. The spindle pommel is formed with two separately cast disks. The tapered blade is more than 11” long and has a raised mid rib to provide strength. It is well balanced and would have been effective for both hacking and piercing. The surface has a fine green patina, with areas of deep blue-green encrustation. Ancient Persia (Luristan), circa 1000-800 BC. Length: 17 1/2 inches, Width: 2 inches.
For a related example see Muscarella “Bronze and Iron” – Metropolitan Museum of Art, Plate 166.
Provenance: Artemis Gallery, ex J. Connell (Mass.) collection.
Luristan bronzes refer to items dating from roughly 1500-500 BC that have been excavated since the late 1920’s in the Harsin, Khorramabad and Alishtar valleys of the Zagros Mountains of western Iran, especially at the site of Tepe Sialk. Scholars believe they were created by either the Cimmerians or by such related Indo-European peoples as the early Medes and Persians. Luristan weapons were highly sought after by warriors of many cultures because of their quality, balance and durability.
