Catalog (25)

Here we have an incredible example of an ancient iron sword from Northern Iran, possibly Amlash, circa 900 BCE. It has a saddle-shaped pommel with extensive geometric decor on the hilt. The iron blade, though deteriorated, is still intact. The slender and elegant weapon has survived millennia just to be in your collection. There is a crack near the guard area visible in the photos. This fragile and beautiful piece measures 60.5 cm in length in its current condition. There are no visible repairs ...

This specimen is a large bronze dagger or spear from ancient Lebanon. I do not have a specific cultural attribution for it as of yet but often these types get the blanket classification of Luristan. It may also be Marlik. There are some losses to the blade edges but the rest of the piece appears solid and stable with no signs of repair or restoration. It measures right at 32 cm in length and weighs 213 grams.The blade is over a cm thick near the center and a half cm at the tip.

This is a copper alloy dagger or short sword. It has an interesting patina consisting primarily of light to medium green tones (likely malachite) mottled with red and reddish brown areas (likely copper oxides). There are areas where the deep brown, lightly corroded base metal is still visible and somewhat lustrous. The entire hilt, including the crescent-shaped pommel, is bordered by a thick and even ridge which would have served to contain the grip scales made of bone, wood, or ivory. The sca...

This is a stunning example of an early Edo period Japanese Katana. The pictures can never do justice to the breathtaking beauty of this fine work of art. This Katana dates to around 1620 AD and is in remarkable condition. The tang is inscribed on both sides. There are no visible flaws. All of the fittings appear to be genuine to the period of the blade. More pictures available on request. Feel free to ask any questions. I am not an expert in Japanese weaponry but I will do the best that I can to...

This is a beautiful short sword from ancient Persia (circa 1200 BC). It has a leaf-shaped blade with three raised ribs that meet to form a strong central blood groove. The piece appears strong and stable with no signs of repair or restoration. It measures just over 35 cm in length and weighs 338 grams.

This is an unusual bronze spear or dagger from ancient Persia (circa 1500 BC). The style is similar to many specimens attributed to the Luristan culture. However, this particular piece has an unusually pronounced guard area, faceted tang, and decorated shaft. The decorations are in the form of linear incisions on the cylindrical portion of the shaft. There is also a prominent midrib in the elegant, leaf-shaped blade. This piece measures 31 cm in length and weighs 190 grams.

This is a beautiful bronze sword from ancient Persia (circa 1300 BC). It has a somewhat unique design in the form of a "tiered" blade. There are three separate tiers on the blade. One is an oval shape near the tang, one area is between the oval area and the tip and the third tier is the tip itself. It is a curious design we have not seen previously and would look great in your collection. The end of the tang appears to have been broken at a perforation but the piece is in otherwise excellent con...

This is a museum quality example of a very rare word type from the ancient middle East.It has a hollow cast, mushroom shaped pommel and a heavy, crescent shaped guard. The blade is long and heavy with several blood grooves cast into it. There are no signs of repair or restoration to this amazing piece of ancient history. The overall length of this exquisite piece is 55 cm.

This week I am posting several Bronze Age weapons from the Middle East including a set of 5, very unique, crescent-hilt daggers from the Marlik culture (circa 1000 BC). These all came from the same private collection. For a nearly identical example see "Arms and Armor from Iran" by Manoucher Khorasani p 50 figure 1 and page 53. This specimen appears to have been cleaned partially so I have included a 35X micrograph of an area of the surface showing crystallization common on ancient bronze. The ...

This is a beautiful bronze dagger from the Dong Son culture in early Southeast Asia. It dates to the Han period (ca 200 bc). The very fine quillons that are often missing on pieces of this type are present and intact, making this a truly rare and high quality find. It measures 31.5 cm in length and weighs 371 grams. It appears to have a repair to the very tip, which is not uncommon for these daggers.

This type of bronze weapon is generally designated as a short sword. It has a substantial midrib with tapering edges. The edges are concave in the upper part and gracefully draw into spikes or wings that extend around either side of the tang. Weapons of this type are found in Northwestern Iran and most likely date to around the 9th century BC. “Weapons of this type [are] widely represented in the Ghaletenti I cemetery in Dailiman.” (“Arms and Armor from Iran” by Manouchehr M. Khorasani,...

This type of bronze weapon is generally designated as a short sword. It has a substantial midrib with tapering edges. The edges are concave in the upper part and gracefully draw into spikes or wings that extend around either side of the tang. Weapons of this type are found in Northwestern Iran and most likely date to around the 9th century BC. “Weapons of this type [are] widely represented in the Ghaletenti I cemetery in Dailiman.” (“Arms and Armor from Iran” by Manouchehr M. Khorasani,...

This is an ancient bronze short sword from Northwestern Iran. It has a choice, predominantly blue patina mottled with green and red. The lower half of the hilt is basically ovoid in hape with a lappet-flanged area on both broad surfaces. Flanged areas often held inlays of wood or bone but a lappet flange of this type was probably a decoration in and of itself. The upper half of the hilt is also ovoid but with the broad surfaces oriented perpendicular to the lower half. This piece has a bifur...

This is an absolutely amazing bronze sword from the Dong Son culture in ancient Southeast Asia. Pieces of this type are rarely discovered intact. It is very long (81.5 cm) and though it is thin and fragile it appears to be intact with no obvious signs of repair. It dates to roughly 300 BC. This is a marvelous opportunity to own a truly stunning antiquity.

This is a fine example of a plain bronze sword likely from Northwestern Iran, possible the Luristan culture. It dates to roughly 1000 BC. It measures an impressive 48 cm in length and weighs 356 grams. The only apparent damage is in what appears to be a broken tang. The break appears ancient as well. The rest of the sword is intact and stable. This is a good piece to add to your ancient weapon collection.

I have seen weapons such as this one described as everything from ancient Roman, Celtic and Chinese to medieval and on and on. Though I have been unable to find much in the way of references, I am fairly certain that this spear and others like it are ceremonial polearms from the Qing Dynasty. They are most likely 18th or 19th century. They have crudely decorated brass collars between the socket and blade. This one and the three others I have listed are in good condition with no signs of repair. ...

This is an awesome ancient Persian sword with a bronze handle and iron blade. The iron blade is still largely intact and stable. It is truly incredible for an iron blade to last the nearly 3000 years since its manufacture in circa 900 BC. This exceptional piece is 46.7 cm in length. You can see the rivets in the handle where it is attached to the blade. This is an excellent opportunity to add a truly unique sword to your collection.

This is a very well preserved bronze sword or dagger from ancient Luristan (circa 1000BC). Overall this piece is in great condition. The flanges on the handle that would have held the inlaid bone,wood or ivory grip are mostly intact (except for one) which is fairly unusual for this type of weapon. This piece measures 353mm and weighs 135 grams. It has a choice, olive patina and no signs of repair.