Naher Osten Bronzenes Kurzschwert

Ancient Middle Eastern– Bronze Short Sword / Long Dagger with Winged Guard – Iron Age

Culture: Middle Eastern

Period: Iron Age
Date: circa 8th–7th century BC
Material: Bronze
Object: Short sword / long dagger blade with winged guard
Length: 59 cm
Weight: 468 g

Condition: Archaeological condition, with surface oxidation, mineral deposits, encrustations and areas of wear consistent with age. The original organic elements of the hilt are no longer preserved. Please refer carefully to the photographs for the condition.

Description
An impressive and unusually large bronze weapon blade from Middle Eastern

The weapon consists of a long and slender tapering blade, reinforced along its entire length by a pronounced central midrib.

Its most distinctive feature is the characteristic winged guard: two large curved lateral projections extend from the shoulders of the blade on either side of the short central tang. The tang originally served for the attachment of an organic hilt, probably made of wood or another perishable material, which is now lost.

The combination of the pronounced central rib, short tang and large curved wing-like guards is characteristic of a documented group of bronze weapons from North-Western Iran and the South Caspian region.

At 59 cm in length and 468 g in weight, this is a particularly substantial example of the type.
The surface preserves an extensive ancient patina with green, brown and reddish oxidation, together with mineral deposits and encrustations.


Comparable examples are discussed in:
Oscar White Muscarella, Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, pp. 99–100, nos. 164–165.


Important:
The attribution and dating are based on stylistic and typological comparison with published archaeological and museum parallels.