Large Luristan Bronze Sword

£ 395.00

An extremely fine Luristan cast bronze sword featuring a large triangle-shaped double-edged blade with a raised midrib, and a slightly hollowed hilt, which might have originally held wood or bone inlays. The original pommel is crescent-shaped and gently curves inwards to form the hilt. The entire sword is covered in a beautiful green and brown patination. Blades of this type are more commonly found in the territories of ancient Western Persia (modern Iran) and were used from the late Bronze Age onwards.

Date: Circa 1800-600 BC
Provenance: A German collection, Cologne, acquired in the 1990's.
Condition: Good condition, surface is covered in green patination.

SOLD

SKU: CS-79 Category: Tag:

Luristan bronze comes from the province of Lorestan, a region situated in the area of modern South-Western Iran. In ancient times a number of nomadic populations, such as the Medes, the Kassites and eventually the Persians, settled in the area. Due to the nomadic nature of the tribes, none of the Luristan bronzes were of great size, since it was required for them to be light and portable. Their artwork mainly comprises ornaments, vessels and weapons. Most of Luristan weapons have been recovered in funerary contexts, suggesting that such weapons would have been used not only in everyday life but also with ceremonial purposes.

To discover more about the Luristan Empire, please visit our relevant blog post: The Luristan Empire: Beauty of Bronze.

Weight 250 g
Dimensions L 41 cm
Culture

Metal

Region

Reference: For a similar item, The Metropolitan Museum, item 61.261.5.

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