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ANCIENT BRONZE NEAR EASTERN SHORT SWORD WITH SMOOTH HANDLE AND FLARED POMMEL Afghanistan BRONZE AGE: 4000 - 3500 years ago This is a superb cast bronze SHORT SWORD of Near Eastern ancient origin. It features a smooth handle with flared solid pommel. This design weapon was made with the blade cast first and then the handle cast onto the blade in a second step. The handle has a slightly different bronze composition resulting in a richer denser patina than the more copper blend bronze sword blade. The patina is incredible and this is a very well-balanced weapon. Specimens like this are becoming quite rare in this size. There is repair done to where the handle meets the blade but other than that, the weapon is perfect and intact. This sword was professionally cleaned and conserved in our lab, being treated with a special wax developed and formulated by the British Museum specifically for ancient bronze preservation. The patina shows beautiful traits only found in authentic ancient weapons. It is a patina like this that the finest ancient bronzes are prized for and it is a patina like this that brings a premium in price and value of the specimen. This is an uncommon style short sword of simplistic yet, very aesthetic lines. This fine ancient bronze weapon has NO RESTORATION OR FABRICATION. A fine set of impressive primary infantry blade weapon from this famous Bronze Age culture. WARNING: There is an increasing number of fake Near Eastern (Luristan) bronze weapons on the market. As fine quality intact, original specimens become more scarce and techniques have become more sophisticated to fake these weapons. We have personally handled numerous extremely well-done fakes with extremely convincing patinas. The degree to which the fakers have been able to replicate patina to disguise their work requires an expert examination by highly experienced individuals. It is common to find very reasonably priced weapons that are made up of part original and part modern components or wholly modern pieces displaying elaborate artificial patinas. All purchases should include from the dealer a written guarantee of authenticity with unconditional and lifetime return policies regarding such guarantee. The term LURISTAN references artifacts made by a society of semi-nomadic people that once lived in the mountainous region of Northwest Iran. Little is known of this ancient culture but the most impressive traces are that of the bronze artifacts they left behind. These include highly decorative equipment for their horses, ceremonial containers and numerous weapons ranging from simple utilitarian pieces on up to elaborate masterpieces of warfare. It is theorized that the Luristan bronzes were crafted by the earliest existence of the Median empire but this has never been proven as written records of the Medes have not survived. The Medes were Indo-Iranian people originally from central Asia who settled in Northwest Iran in the 9th century BC and later defeated the Assyrian empire in 614 BC. Their success is short-lived and their empire which once stretched from central Iran to the Persian Gulf and Anatolia was overrun in 550 BC by the Persians. SUPERB LARGE SHORT SWORD OF AESTHETICALLY SIMPLISTIC DESIGN - WONDERFUL RICH PATINA AND TEXTURE 16" in length SOLD LUR012 Actual Item - One Only |
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