Luristan bronze dagger with grip insert
Price: on request
Sold
Object number
AR2890E
| Object: |
Luristan bronze dagger with grip insert
|
| Material: |
Bronze. Insert made of bone or wood.
|
| Period: |
1100 BC to 900 BC. Iron Age I. |
| Description: |
Luristan bronze dagger. Handle with raised rim for insertion of grips. The grip widens gradually from the pommel. Long, slim blade, tapering to the front. Parts of the possibly original inserted grip pieces are preserved in the handle on both sides. This is particularly exciting about this piece. With most finds only the bronze is preserved, the grip insert has been lost or perished.
|
| Background: |
Daggers were the standard weapons of Luristan warriors. The different types of daggers were named by archaeologists according to their type of handle. For the raised rim daggers, the vertical edge around the grip is the decisive feature. Initially, riveted blades were used for daggers in Luristan. The 14th century BC saw daggers with handle which were made from a single piece of bronze. The edge surrounding the handle contained an insert, often consisting of bone, wood or metal. The raised rim daggers were otherwise simply designed and generally did not have elaborate decorations, as are known from axe heads of the same period. In the 10th century BC the full bronze daggers were replaced by iron weapons. |
| Dimensions: |
35.6cm long, 2.8cm wide.
|
| Condition: |
Very good condition. Only minor chips at the blade that could indicate the active use as a weapon during Iron Age. Even part of the original grip insert could be preserved, but its ancient origin is not fully cerain. Nice strong patina.
|
| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2019 from a Munich based auction house. Previously in a French private collection built in the 1960ies.
|
| References: |
Cf. P. R. S. Moorey, Ancient Bronzes from Luristan (BM, 1974), plate II, A (BM 123060). Cf. G. Zahlhaas, "Luristan, Antike Bronzen aus dem Iran", page 32, cat. 44. |
| Literature: |
St John Simpson and Susan La Niece, New light on old swords from Iran. The British Museum Technical Research Bulletin, Volume 4 (2010). Moorey, Ancient Bronzes from Luristan (BM, 1974), pages 23f. Bonnet, Die Waffen der Völker des Alten Orients, pages 42ff. |
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
|