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RARE CEREMONIAL CACHE OF SEVEN ANCIENT BRONZE NEAR EASTERN TANGED DAGGERS WITH THE FINEST AZURITE / MALACHITE PATINA Near East BRONZE AGE: 4000 - 3500 years ago This is an exceptional set of SEVEN Near Eastern ancient hammered bronze dagger blades of tanged design. They are extremely unusual in that they were made all from hammered sheet bronze indicating a votive or ceremonial purpose. Many ancient cultures used to bury weapons or offer weapons to the gods in return for safety in warfare or a blessing. This rare collection was found buried together and their non-typical construction design and identical patinas bear this out in physical evidence. We have handled thousands of bronze artifacts and RARELY do you find patinas like this from the Near East with such heavy blue azurite mineral encrustation mixed in with such a rich malachite green mineralized patina. The color you see is 100% original and authentic. Notice the incredible blue azurite across some of the pieces. There is even one blade that has sparkling cuprite crystals scattered on exposed metal surfaces. Traits like this are proof-positive of not only ancient authenticity but the existence of the most coveted ancient bronze patinas known. Seldom do you find the opportunity to purchase a cache of associated specimens like this from a single burial. Absolutely recommended for the advanced collection or museum exhibition. Sizes and blade styles are varied and represent a variety of votive purposes but metal composition, alloy, manufacturing style and patinas demonstrate a single source of ancient fabrication and burial. In keeping with proper museum ancient bronze curation techniques, this set has been professionally cleaned and conserved in our lab to stabilize the patina and prevent modern deterioration or bronze disease. The colors you see are 100% NATURAL WITH NO ENHANCEMENT. Metal artifacts that are not treated and properly conserved may corrode over time and even disintegrate into pieces. 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. Unlike the flood of pastiche ancient bronze pieces on the market, this piece is 100% original and intact with no compositing of any additional parts to make a complete weapon. There is NO REPAIR AND NO RESTORATION OR FABRICATION. A well-preserved cache of SEVEN beautiful ceremonial blade weapons 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 that can be found in parts of present-day Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. 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. EXCEPTIONAL MUSEUM SET OF SEVEN INTACT CEREMONIAL DAGGER BLADES FOUND TOGETHER IN A SINGLE BURIAL - SUPERB PATINAS 10.2" - 6" in lengths $1795 LUR050 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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