FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board
Antiquities Discussion Forums => Other Metal Antiquities => Topic started by: Kamnaskires on August 06, 2019, 11:22:51 pm
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Note: Since this thread started, I have changed the gallery title from "Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia" to a more inclusive "Weaponry of Western Asia." The rationale for that renaming is provided in the 10/9/2021 entry (https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=119753.msg760751#msg760751) in this thread.
My new collecting area is, I suppose, a natural evolution from earlier purchases of bronze Parthian-type arrowheads, which I had started collecting to give my Parthian and Elymaean coins some tangible context. I recently decided to reach even further back into Iranian history, to the regional antecedents of Parthia.
Some History
In the second millennium BC, long before the Parthians dominated the Iranian plateau and, with the Elymaeans, the plains of Khuzestan, the area between the Caspian Sea and the north end of the Persian Gulf was inhabited by diverse groups of people (Kassites, Hurrians, Lullubi, Kutians, Elamites, etc.), some whose ancestors had been in the region since at least 10,000 BC. Other groups - including the Aryans whose descendants would go on to found the Median and Achaemenid Empires in the first millennium BC - more recently migrated to the area.
The people who occupied the region in antiquity produced impressive metal works. According to P. R. S. Moorey (in Ancient Bronzes from Luristan) the metal industry in this area was established “from at least the later fourth millennium B.C.” Starting with the plundering of some Iranian sites in the 1920s, and continuing with sanctioned excavations starting in the 1930s, many splendid metal objects have been found at numerous sites within the region of ancient Luristan in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran, as well as in the Iranian provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran at the southern end of the Caspian Sea. Gilan, which is basically the area corresponding to what would become Parthia-dominated Media Atropatene, includes the archaeological sites of Marlik, Deylaman (Dailaman), Kaluraz, Tomajan, among others. Excavated objects include zoomorphic figurines and finials, bowls, pins, horse bits and other objects associated with horsemanship, and jewelry.
In addition to utilitarian and ornamental sculptural objects produced in gold, bronze and terracotta, many weapons have been found in these areas of Iran. Such arms consist of swords, daggers, dirks (edged weapons measuring between 36 cm and 50 cm - if smaller it's, technically, a dagger; if larger it's, technically, a sword), spear tips, axes, arrowheads, and maces. Three thousand years ago nomadic horsemen who served as mercenaries in regional conflicts would purchase such metal weaponry as they traveled through towns in the area. When they died their weapons were buried with them. As Moorey states, “…even the poorest male graves appear to have contained a few simple weapons; the richest were amply stocked with them.” Accordingly, many of the ancient Iranian daggers, lance blades, and so forth that one spots in museums and on the market, are from graves.
The Generalized Usage of “Luristan,” “Marlik,” and “Amlash”
The term “Luristan” is liberally applied as the attribution for artifacts from the whole region. That usage of “Luristan” may be expedient, but it is certainly not always accurate. Some dealers acknowledge this by placing the word in quotation marks in their listings: “Luristan.” Certainly a percentage of such specimens did not originate in Luristan-proper (which occupied a mountainous portion of western Iran), but may have been products of other, relatively close, Western Asian (and perhaps Central Asian) regions. As Moorey writes, “…there are many tools and weapons reported from Luristan which might well have been made…in Elam, Mesopotamia, or possibly even North Syria.”
Similarly, “Marlik” and “Amlash” are sometimes used for ancient weapons and other wares from across northern Iran, despite the fact that Marlik was actually a single excavated mound in the vicinity and Amlash is a distinct geographical area within Gilan. One also encounters the generalized “Marlik Culture” or “Amlash Culture” in descriptions of ancient objects from the region. Of the two phrases, the former may have more legitimacy. Wikipedia’s entry for Amlash states that the word “Amlash…does not have any real archaeological meaning when used with the word culture.” The impreciseness of such attributions is implicit in a statement like this, from Houshang Mahboubian’s Art of Ancient Iran: “Amlash is a small village situated between the Caspian Sea coast and the heights of the Dailaman (Deylaman) region, but for the art world the name has come to describe all the villages in the area.” Charles K. Wilkinson echoes the sentiment in his Art of the Marlik Culture: “The designation ‘Amlash’ has been used quite loosely as the place of origin for many antiquities that have come from other, sometimes unknown, sites in the province of Gilan.” And again from Moorey: “Unfortunately neither the description ‘Luristan’ nor ‘Amlash’, as commonly used, has any exact geographical or chronological significance.”
Given the looseness with which some of these words and phrases are used, it would seem that a term like “Northwestern Iran” and, occasionally, the even more general “Western Asia” is both safer and more honest for cataloging purposes. Although it is likely that most or all of the weapons in my gallery are indeed from Western Asia – with the majority being from ancient Iran – it is possible that some may be contemporaneous Aegean or Central Asian products. I am bucking the “Luristan” trend – meaning I will not be rubberstamping all items as “Luristan.” Instead I am using “Western Asia” for most pieces in my growing collection. I have decided to only use more specific place names (e.g. “Northwestern Iran,” “Israel,” etc.) when I can, with some confidence, more narrowly pinpoint an artifact’s geographical origins. Furthermore I am using terms like “possibly Marlik” or “probably Luristan” only when my research strongly points in those directions.
Dating the Weapons
The types of weapons in my gallery are generally dated to c.1200-800 BC, although some organic material from a Marlik tomb did date, based on a radiocarbon test, to even earlier, to the mid-15th century BC. (source: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/marlik) Often this type of bronze weaponry is listed with the descriptor “Bronze Age.” However, in Western Asia the Bronze Age ended c.1200 BC. Technically, then, these weapons – despite being bronze – are from the Early Iron Age of Western Asia. Indeed, as clarified in numerous sources dealing with weaponry in the region, the division between the Bronze Age and Iron Age in Iran is based "not (on) the use of iron or the establishment of iron smelting, but rather (on) the changes in ceramics and the presence/absence of settlement continuity in index sites." (Bronze-Hilted Iron Swords from Western Asia at the Department of Archaeology, Hiroshima University by Nojima, Arimatsu, Fujii, Marata, Ichikawa, Fujii, and Morimoto)
More specifically, most of the weapons in my gallery are from the Iron Age I (c. 1200 - 1000 BC) and Iron Age II (c. 1000 - 800 BC). (I don't seek out material from Iron Age III, c. 800 to the formation of the Achaemenid Empire around 550 BC) The oldest item in my collection is the oddball that actually is from the Bronze Age in Western Asia: the one Canaanite blade (AE Dagger #01), which dates to the early to mid 2nd millennium BC.
In my next post I will discuss the challenges of purchasing and cataloging these types of items. After that, I will start posting links to my initial gallery entries.
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Purchasing Ancient Weapons
Buying from trusted dealers is an absolute must for anyone considering a move to this collecting area. Over the past year I have grown to implicitly trust a small selection of dealers who regularly stock authentic weaponry. Although in some cases I pay more when working with these dealers, the peace of mind it provides is well worth the additional cost. The fact is, there are many, many fake Luristani (and Chinese and Greek) bronze weapons on the market, particularly on eBay. Some such fakes are easy to spot – others are much harder. Red flags may include perfectly symmetrical blade bodies exhibiting none of the vagaries of time, completely intact barbs on arrowheads, overly smooth surfaces, evidence of artificial patination, as well as identical looking patinas across entire seller inventories. Notwithstanding the legit sellers in the UK and China, it seems that an inordinate number of fakes, as well as possibly kosher specimens with no provenance provided (one has to wonder about looting with such items), are sold from particular eBay dealers in those countries. Some of these same dealers are listed on the NFSL for their coin sales. To state the obvious: when possible it is advisable to purchase provenanced material, ideally from old, respected collections – and from well established, reputable dealers. I am fortunate in that I was able to purchase some pedigreed specimens from several important ancient weapons collections – specifically, those of Axel Guttman, Shlomo Zeitsov, Walter Steinberg, John F. Piscopo, and Johan Dæhnfeldt.
In addition to forgeries of weaponry, one may occasionally see, on eBay in particular, some horrid bronze figurines listed as Luristani. Legitimate sculptural objects from ancient Luristan are often beautiful and truly impressive in their craftsmanship. Sellers of the dreck should, obviously, be avoided for the purchase of weapons.
Cataloging – Using References
Although most collectors and sellers of ancient weaponry do not provide references to scholarly sources for their specimens, I consider it important to do so despite the challenges that accompany such a decision. There are a number of references that one can use for attribution, including books and articles written by I. N. Medvedskaya, Ezat O. Negahban, P. R. S. Moorey, Houshang Mahboubian, Christian Konrad Piller, Alex Malloy, Oscar White Muscarella, and others. Unfortunately the attribution/citation process can be frustrating since information is piecemeal, spread across many sources - very few of which would qualify as true corpuses. Most are limited in their coverage of weaponry, with many discouraging omissions in their catalogs, to be of consistent help as references. Others are too narrowly focused (on particular aspects of the weaponry) to serve as broader references for attribution - I refer here to publications like excavation reports or articles specializing on some particular variety of weapon, such as penannular guard daggers or "iron mask" swords.
Perhaps the most extensive and profusely illustrated of the available resources that are specific to the historical weaponry of Iran is Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani's Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period. It is a beautiful and large book, with much information and lots of illustrations. Be aware, however: the medieval weaponry of Iran gets greater coverage in the book's catalog than does ancient weaponry.
Typological Similarities Across Distances
Yet another frustration is that, unlike coinage, the precise location of bronze weapons’ manufacture, as well as their specific cultural context and dating, usually cannot be precisely determined. Similarly shaped blades and arrowheads from the period have been found across ancient Iran – from locations that span Elam, Luristan, the Gilan region, and westward into Iraq/Mesopotamia. Typological similarities of weaponry from find spots across the area may be due to travel (as with the aforementioned nomadic horsemen, who likely traveled great distances with weapons in tow) and standardization of types across distances.
And, in fact, formal similarities between weapons may be noted well beyond areas in ancient Iran and its environs. According to N. K. Sandars, some of the region’s tanged dagger blades (Sandars’ Type A) “migrated” west to the Levant around 1900 BC, and from there – via Cretan trade – eventually inspired some types of Aegean daggers and swords. Conversely, according to Moorey (in both Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Adam Collection and Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum), daggers cast with flanged hilts designed to accommodate bone or wood inlays (e.g. dagger #’s 03 and 04 in my gallery), were introduced to Iran from the West in the middle of the second millennium. Whichever way the influence flowed, the point is that the typological similarities may be seen across fairly broad areas, including well west of Iran.
Ambiguous Usage
There is yet another bit of muddiness that one encounters with some of these weapons. Arrowheads were typically quite large in Iron Age I and II in Iran – especially as compared to the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Scythian arrowheads manufactured in the region hundreds of years later. That large scale has resulted in some ambiguity. Similarly shaped large bronze tips from the late second through early first millennium BC are sometimes listed as arrowheads, sometimes as lance/spearheads. As the authors of Arrowheads in the cultural-historical property repository of the Administration of Cultural Heritage of Kerman write, "In any typology of blade-type weapons, differentiating large arrowheads from small spearheads or javelin heads is rather complicated and requires choosing a certain number of arbitrary definitions." (Those same authors selected an overall length of 11.5 cm as the limit for an arrowhead designation.) In addition, similarly shaped tanged blades are deemed daggers in some listings and as lance/spearheads in others. The confusion is evident not just in dealers’ listings but also in scholarly articles and reference books. The obvious conclusion is that knowledge about the particular usage of some of the blades is not fixed. As a result, some of my blades are cataloged as “spearhead (or dagger blade?)” or as “arrowhead (or spearhead?)” when their exact usage – meaning which of these two specific usages – is not certain. Such terms, as used in my gallery, reflect the disagreements I am encountering with regard to usage as I research particular items.
Looking Ahead
As I am new to this collecting area, I am still hunting for a number of things that I have yet to acquire. Among the gaps I hope to fill is a reasonably affordable dagger with a penannular (crescent-shaped) guard enclosing the midrib at the junction between hilt and blade. This type seems to have been prevalent in Luristan and its environs during the Iron Age I and II, but such daggers are usually very pricey when they appear on the market. In addition, there are particular varieties of blades – particular profiles – that my collection lacks. So this will be an ongoing, protracted process.
Primary sources for some of the info above:
Iranicaonline, Artemis Gallery, Art of the Marlik Culture by Charles K. Wilkinson, Bronze and Iron Weapons from Luristan by Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani, Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Adam Collection by P. R. S. Moorey, Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum by P. R. S. Moorey, http://www.salimbeti.com/micenei/weapons1.htm (and .weapons2.htm), and https://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/iss/kap_b/advanced/tb_1_1b.html
With my next post, I will begin introducing items from my collection. I hope to periodically update information here as I acquire new pieces and find time to photograph and catalog them.
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AE Arrowhead #01
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157219
This arrowhead was part of lot 27 in Christies Sale 5524, Axel Guttman Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, Part 2, London, April 2004. The lot (“A LARGE COLLECTION OF NORTH-WEST PERSIAN BRONZE ARROWHEADS. 2ND/EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.”) consisted of an ancient bronze bowl with sculptural handles, filled to the brim with arrowheads of this type. A number of the arrowheads have since appeared on the market. Each is similar, with elongated deltoid head and long tang.
AE Arrowhead #02
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157220
Triangular bilobate ribbed head, stem, medium length tang
AE Arrowhead #03
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157221
Bilobate ribbed head, stem and long tang
AE Arrowhead #04
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157222
Rare type, apparently associated with Marlik, with curving “wings” with rounded ends, blade edges convex near point and wings, concave in middle, medium length tang
AE Arrowhead #05 (or spearhead?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157223
Elongated deltoid, bilobate ribbed head, long stem and tang
AE Arrowhead #06
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157224
Bilobate ribbed head with barbs, stem and long tang
AE Arrowhead #07
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157225
Triangular bilobate ribbed head with stem and long tang
AE Arrowhead #08
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157226
Triangular/deltoid bilobate head with shallow wide rib, medium length tang, and interesting delta-shaped gouge on one side (presumably an intentional mark)
AE Arrowhead #09
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157227
Triangular bilobate ribbed head, short stem, medium length tang, small nick in one edge
AE Arrowhead #10 (or spearhead?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157228
Lanceolate, prominent rib, short stem and tang, chipped. This leaf-shaped tip was listed as a spearhead, but fits the description of some ancient Iranian arrowheads.
AE Dagger #01
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157243
This small dagger blade is from the Shlomo Zeitsov collection. It is likely the oldest blade in my collection, dating to the early to mid 2nd millennium BC. It was sold by the collector’s nephew, who reports that it was found in Israel. It is tang-less and has three rivet holes.
AE Dagger #02
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157244
Long triangular ribbed blade, squared shoulders, four rivet holes (two rivets still in place), broken tang. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt collection.
AE Dagger #03
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157245
Flanged hilt with no wood or ivory remaining, blade and hilt cast in one piece
AE Dagger #04
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157246
Flanged hilt with no wood or ivory remaining, single rivet hole in wedge-shaped pommel, low broad midrib, blade and hilt cast in one piece. From an old British collection, acquired in the 1970's.
AE Dagger/Short Sword #01
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157247
Long triangular blade, prominent rib, medium sized tang, with thick point for piercing armor – a feature that was rare in antiquity. Metal bent at one edge of base. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt collection.
AE Dagger/Short Sword #02
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157248
Long tapering form, winged guard extending from the ricasso, prominent midrib, chips along one edge. From a private Danish collection of ancient weapons.
AE Dagger/Short Sword #03
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157249
Rounded shoulders and broad, flat central midrib curving outward at shoulders, tang broken, some roughness, chips, and encrustations. From a private Danish collection of ancient weapons.
AE Spearhead #01 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157229
Ribbed blade with rounded shoulders, slightly concave edges, long tang, broken tip, encrustations
AE Spearhead #02 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157230
Tapering triangular blade with rounded midrib, nearly square (very slightly deltoid) shoulders, and flat tang
AE Spearhead #03 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157231
Tapering triangular blade with slightly rounded shoulders, broad flat midrib, long tang
AE Spearhead #04
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157232
Ovate blade with curved shoulders, sharper tapering near point, flat midrib, squared-sectioned tang with sharp bend at end
AE Spearhead #05 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157233
Triangular blade, square shoulders, broad flat rib, rivet hole in long tang
AE Spearhead #06 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157234
Rounded shoulders, pronounced midrib, slightly concave edges, long tang
AE Spearhead #07 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157235
Rounded shoulders, pronounced midrib, rivet hole in tang
AE Spearhead #08 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157236
Triangular blade with high shoulders that taper greatly toward point, very pronounced midrib, slightly concave edges, long tang with rivet hole. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt Collection.
AE Spearhead #09
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157237
Ovate blade with curved shoulders, sharper tapering near point, flat midrib, and squared-sectioned tang. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt Collection.
AE Spearhead #10
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157238
Ovate blade with curved shoulders, sharper tapering near point, flat midrib, and squared-sectioned tang with sharp bend at end. Ex-Private Danish collection of ancient weapons.
AE Spearhead #11
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157239
Tapered long blade with prominent midrib, sharper tapering near point, round shoulders. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt Estate Collection.
AE Spearhead #12
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157240
Tanged ribbed blade, small stem, straight blade edges at base, then tapering toward point
AE Spearhead #13
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157241
Deltoid ribbed blade, slightly rounded shoulders, long tang with sharp bend at end
AE Sword #1
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-157242
Tapering ribbed blade, round shoulders, rat-tail tang, tip missing and end bent (possibly a deliberate act in antiquity)
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Amazing collection Robert. I'll enjoy taking some time to view it all.
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Wow, Bob, it is a great gallery of the Ancient Weapons... +++
Congratulation ;)
Joe/Q.
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Thank you for the nice comments, guys. Much appreciated.
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Very cool. I’d like to get a dagger some day.
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Great writeup Bob and some amazing artefacts.
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Thanks, Nick and Andrew. I appreciate the comments.
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Very nice collection! I haven't studied each piece, but noticed that your Canaanite "AE Dagger #01" is rather more intact than you may fear it is. You state that "It is tang-less (or is the tang broken?) and has two rivet holes" but it actually has three rivet holes and never had a tang, with the minor loss of bronze on the very bottom obscuring the fact that it has a 3rd hole at that spot.
I particularly like the "AE Dagger/Short Sword #02" and see similar pieces offered as spearheads for rather lower prices than short swords tend to fetch. I have nothing to back it up but tend to think that the "winged guard" was integral to and served to help secure such pieces to the handle, and may have looked somewhat like the swords depicted on the "Pylos Combat Agate". Your "AE Dagger/Short Sword #03" is very aesthetically appealing also.
There was a collector on eBay selling off a lot of material from the Piscopo collection that he obtained when it was liquidated; "bungalowbil", and as I recall he had listed but didn't sell some nice West Asian weapons that you'd likely be interested in among other antiquities. Many items came with the original tags in Piscopo's handwriting and I picked up a few of his tagged Chinese pieces. He hasn't listed anything in a few months but it may be worth sending him a message.
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Thank you, Plumbata, for the comments. Interesting speculation about the “winged guard.” Thanks for the assist in my ex-Piscopo hunt. Coincidentally I recently spotted an auction lot consisting of some Western Asian specimens from that collection, but decided to pass given some possible evidence of bronze disease. (Although it was very hard to tell for sure from the pics)
The info regarding the Canaanite blade is very helpful and serves to support/confirm what some research, subsequent to my gallery upload, turned up. I have adjusted the description for that entry accordingly. Given that most of my artifacts likely originated closer to Iran, that particular blade is really an outlier in my collection.
Thanks again! Best wishes.
Bob
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What an amazing collection, Bob. You have taken your interest back by many centuries, therefore it must be so much more difficult to find collectible objects than at your time as a coin hunter. Also, relevant literature must be so much harder to come by, probably only in university libraries. An intriguing area of interest, several notches more difficult to satisfy than 'mere' coin collecting. I often wonder when I handle an ancient coin who held it two thousand years ago, or in whose garment or pantry was it hidden. You must ask yourself now who was pierced by this dagger, arrowhead, sword, or spear. Did he die or was he just wounded. Or which animal was the target. I once almost began a collection of Luristan bronzes - Guy Clark usually had a few at the Vienna Coin Shows. The temptation was that you can actually display those figurines and enjoy looking at them every day. But then I figured it would take too long to become an expert to buy with confidence, so it is still coins in my case. I admire you for branching out into this special area.
Good luck with all future purchases,
Schatz
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Thanks for the nice comments, Schatz. It's an intimidating but fun new collecting area, and I'm acutely aware of how much I don't know regarding these weapons. And I've quickly discovered how the literature on the subject can at times be a bit contradictory with regard to attributions and blade usage. Unraveling this stuff is a challenge - not just for the collector, but occasionally also for the scholars, it seems.
I'm hoping for a couple more acquisitions soon, but it will likely be quite a while before I can find the time to document and upload them.
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Here’s the next round of uploads to the gallery.
AE Arrowhead #11
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159809
Deltoid shaped bilobate blade with long tang
AE Arrowhead #12
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159810
Wide, two-winged tip, ribbed, long tang
AE Arrowhead #13
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159811
Bilobate ribbed head, short stem and tang, one blade chipped
AE Arrowhead #14
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159812
Lanceolate or elongated deltoid-shaped, bilobate ribbed head, long tang
AE Dagger #5
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159813
Triangular blade, very broad at base, with diamond-shaped cross-section, flanged hilt with no wood or ivory remaining
AE Spearhead #14 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159814
This spearhead (dagger?) is from the Marcel Gibrat Collection, sold to me from the estate by his grandson. Gibrat was an art restorer/conservator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is said to have been a self-taught genius with a sixth-grade education, the only restorer who worked for the Met without a PhD. He is remembered as an expert in antiquities. He was also a collector: he began purchasing antiquities, tribal art, Asian art, and European art beginning in the early to mid-1960s. He collected and restored high quality items for the better part of three decades, before falling ill and being unable to work in 1992.
The spearhead (or dagger) here has nearly squared shoulders, slightly concave edges, and long tang with rivet hole.
AE Spearhead #15
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159815
Triangular socketed blade, pronounced midrib, high shoulders. Ex- Johan Dæhnfeldt Collection.
AE Spearhead #16 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159816
High, round shoulders, central midrib, flat broken tang. Ex- private Danish collection.
AE Spearhead #17 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159817
Another spearhead (or dagger blade) from the Marcel Gibrat Collection. This one has rounded shoulders, straight sides tapering toward point, pronounced midrib, and medium length tang.
AE Sword #2
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159819
My largest blade to date at 54.5cm (21 ½”), it has a long tapering shape with, sadly, the handle lost. Provenance: ex- private collection, Essex, UK.
AE Hilt #1
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159820
One of the various types of dagger and sword hilts used in ancient (late 2nd to early 1st millennium BC) Iran consisted of a bronze cylindrical grip topped by a double disk pommel, with an iron core. This is an example of that type with, unfortunately, the blade lost to time. It features incised decorative patterns. One of my favorite acquisitions so far.
AE Hilt #2
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-159821
A sword hilt with bifurcated “double-ear” pommel, square cross-section through grip, with two lattice-patterned bands enclosing a horizontally-oriented linear band which comprise the hand guard; the pommel exhibits a distinctive Luristani "double-ear" motif comprised of two decorated semi-circular "ears" which extend outward from the grip at sharp angles; oxidized remnants of the original iron blade are still visible below the guard. It is from a private East Coast collection.
Hopefully another round of uploads later in the year...
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Wow, Bob,
It is great... +++
Really great collection
Congratulation
Joe/Q,
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Thanks, Q.
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Three new additions to the gallery.
The fuzziness of the gallery images has been very frustrating to see, so I am also providing links here to the enlarged versions that pop-up when the gallery versions are clicked on. My hope is that anyone perusing the gallery (including all the images listed earlier in this thread) will take the time to click on the gallery images to see the enlarged versions.
AE Arrowhead #15
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-162772
Enlarged image: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Arrowhead_15_b.jpg
AE Spearhead #18 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-162774
Enlarged image: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Spearhead_18.jpg
AE Dagger/Short Sword #4
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-162777
Enlarged image: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Dagger_Short_Sword_4.jpg
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Great pieces, Bob 👍
Joe
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I like that your collection is so complementary - the coins and items are limited to an area and theme.
I never had the discipline to stay that focussed.
SC
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Thanks for the comments, Joe and Shawn. Much appreciated.
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A very impressive and interesting gallery. Stkp
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A very belated thank you, Stkp.
I am overdue for an update to this thread. Just a few modest additions since the last one – no real big whoop here:
AE Arrowead #16
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-164143
Enlarged image: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Arrowhead_16.jpg
AE Arrowhead #17
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-164144
Enlarged image: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Arrowhead_17.jpg
AE Arrowhead #18 (or spearhead?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-165222
Enlarged image: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Arrowhead_18.jpg
AE Spearhead #19 (or dagger blade?)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-164806
Enlarged image: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Spearhead_19.jpg
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Adding three Western Asian spear butts (counterpoises) this evening. These date - probably - to the early first millennium BC, are likely from NW Iran (they are, generically, referred to as Luristani), and are quite rare. At least one major reference book (Mahboubian) lists these things as spearheads – and, similarly, I’ve seen at least one dealer listing a specimen as a “ceremonial spearhead.” By contrast, Muscarella and some sellers have listed them as spear butts, a usage which seems likely to me. This description, from one listing, rings true: “The counterpoise has been tapered to a point to act as another damaging force, allowing the wielder to use both ends as a weapon.”
Mine are in very rough shape, with tips broken and with encrustations. But I am very pleased to have snagged them and to have them residing in my gallery.
AE Spear Butt (Counterpoise) #1:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166030
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Spear_Butt_1.jpg
AE Spear Butt (Counterpoise) #2:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166031
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Spear_Butt_2.jpg
AE Spear Butt (Counterpoise) #3:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166032
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Spear_Butt_3.jpg
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Here’s an unusual one. Recently picked up the dagger blade at the gallery links below. It’s a curious one, at least for me. The cylindrical grip and blade are cast in a single piece, and the grip is broken. The roughly shaped open guard, tapering as it does into the grip, is quite similar to bronze examples I’ve seen listed as “Syro-Hittite” (dated to c. 1200 BC) and an iron sword I spotted, that is described as Mesopotamian and dated to c. 1000 – 800 BC. The edges of the blades on these examples, however, were straight, tapering and aiming directly toward their points – whereas the blade on my dagger is slightly convex at its base/shoulders and slightly concave along its length, then rounding to the point, very much like many other Iranian blades of that era. So, whether this dagger originates in the Levant, southern Anatolia, Mesopotamia, or Persia is a question I cannot currently answer. I will definitely be sticking with the generic “Western Asia” for this one.
AE Dagger #6:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-166471
Enlargement:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Dagger_6.jpg
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Hi, Bob,
Again a nice addition...👍
Regards
Joe
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Thanks, Joe.
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Here’s another update:
Recently picked up a decent sized lot of ancient Iranian arrowheads, which I documented and uploaded to the gallery. I’m not providing direct links to those here, but they represent AE Arrowhead #’s 19 – 27.
I do, however, want to provide links to two pickups that I find particularly interesting.
The first is what appears, at first glance, to be a Luristani dagger hilt with double-eared pommel. However, with about half the blade remaining, it measures only 2 ¾”. I would imagine that, with blade fully intact, it would have measured about 3 1/4".
It was, then, an imitation of a Luristani dagger, but in a reduced scale. Such miniature “daggers” are very rare. I've only seen two for sale since I started collecting the weaponry a couple years back. (This being one of the two)
My specimen is listed as “AE Hilt #3” in my gallery:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-167295
Enlargement:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Hilt_3.jpg
Such small imitative daggers are described by Houshang Mahboubian as surgical instruments. Whether or not that is a reasonable speculation, I don't know. Mahboubian, who possesses what has been described as "one of the most magnificent collections of early Iranian bronzes in the world," illustrates a number of them in his book Art of Ancient Iran: Copper and Bronze. I am providing the relevant illustration from his book below.
However, such tiny weapons are described elsewhere (in the listing of one on the market a while back) as having had a probable “votive or ceremonial function.” And, I suppose the votive interpretation probably makes more sense to me than the surgical instrument theory. As you can see, in the upper part of my image from Mahboubian’s book, the ancient Iranians had a number of surgical instruments which, it seems, were designed exclusively based on their function. One might rightly wonder, then, why some surgical instruments looked the part – like instruments of surgery – while others would replicate daggers.
The other item I want to provide a link to is a socketed spearhead that I uploaded this evening. Described in the seller’s listing as being from Luristan, it is a reasonable match for one illustrated in Ezat O. Negahban’s Weapons from Marlik – specifically, Plate X, figure 130. (As mentioned in my initial essay at the top of this thread, “Luristan” is used pretty liberally for Late Bronze/Early Iron Age weaponry from Iran and nearby southern Caspian Sea locations) I provide a pic from Negahban’s book below, as well.
AE Spearhead #20:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-167482
Enlargement:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Spearhead_20.jpg
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This is an incredible collection. A few of those in the lower photo look like Zulu assegai spear heads of much more recent make. Just a comment on what you said about surgical instruments. The top photo certainly shows multiple instruments that have to have specialized uses. Certainly, surgery or medical would be within the realm of possibility. Some of those certainly don't look like weapons. Even the daggers could be surgical. Even though the Persians were extremely advanced, medical knowledge was lacking and pretty crude, as it was everywhere. Even up to modern times, saws were and are a part of medical surgical kits, especially in the military. My comment probably isn't helpful, but that collection of yours rocks. Thanks for sharing it.
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Thanks for the comments, Virgil. Much appreciated.
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Just realized I may have implied your spear points weren't real. I didn't mean that at all. Sorry for that confusion. I have three Zulu assegais, two of which are authentic and one is probably a tourist type device, although I still wouldn't want to be stabbed with it. And mine aren't really antiques, the two are less than 100 years old. I just meant the points look similar.
Virgil
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Nice stuff Robert. I entirely share your views in the small object. It really seems that votive use is more likely than medical instrument based on form. I have not googled "Luristan votive" but I assume it is a thing....
Though Mahboubian's is a great collection, that doesn't mean that the descriptions are up to date and accurate.
There was a great fad for "medical implements", in collection reports and catalogues, and in fact still is.
So many Roman objects labelled "medical instruments" are items that may have had that use, but also had many other uses - many more common uses like cosmetics, kitchen, etc. Logic tells us that for every Roman doctor there were literally thousands of Roman ladies - and thus thousands of cosmetic scoops for every medical probe.
SC
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Virgil, no worries. I understood the point you were making.
Shawn, great insights as usual. Thanks for the comments.
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In my second post in this thread, I devoted a paragraph to “Looking Ahead.” It was written in summer of 2019, as I was embarking on this new and challenging collecting area. In addition to stating my hope of acquiring “a reasonably affordable dagger with a penannular (crescent-shaped) guard…” (which is something I still hope to do), that post originally also stated my desire to pick up one or more specimens from “the well-known John Piscopo Collection,” and “socketed (as opposed to tanged) spearheads.”
Since posting that, I added two socketed spearheads to my collection and gallery. So that knocked off one of the aforementioned items from the “Looking Ahead” list.
Today I add a blade from the Piscopo Collection - and so the reference to the hope of acquiring one from that collection has now been edited out:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-168248
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Dagger_7.jpg
From a visual standpoint, there’s nothing particularly spectacular about it, although it does represent a type I did not previously own. Its importance is in its provenance. I had earlier opportunities to pick up some relatively affordable ex-Piscopo pieces, but they exhibited signs of bronze disease, which I try to avoid when possible.
I also added my fourth spear butt today:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-168247
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Spear_Butt_Counterpoise_4.jpg
Hopefully there is a “penannular guard” dagger in my future, but I expect it’ll be a long time coming…
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Again so many nice additions, Bob, 👍
Congratulations
I always enjoy it
Joe/Q.
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Thanks, Q.
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I really can't find a less weird way to say - nice butt.
But it is a nice addition to your collection. Very interesting with the dots on it.
SC
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Thanks, Shawn.
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The most recent addition to the gallery is AE Dagger #09. It is in poor shape, needing conservation. But it is such an interesting and rare type. I'm happy to have it join the collection. As I state in its description in the gallery, the lower portion of hilt was cast in imitation of an inlaid flanged hilt, complete with guard flanges. (See the hourglass-shaped part of the hilt - compare it, for example to the actual flanges/tabs on the hilt of AE Dagger #04) In addition, the pommel is divided into two semicircular "ears." I've photographed the dagger from different angles, to give a sense of how those "ears" splay outward when seen from the side view.
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=170527
Enlargement at:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=170527&fullsize=1
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A classic Luristan type. I always thought these were really cool.
SC
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Hi, Bob.
I always enjoyed your new additions... +++
Joe/Q.
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Thanks, Joe.
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An update: I've done a bit of tidying up in the gallery as far as the titles to the following three weapons are concerned. Each had previously been referred to as an "AE Dagger/Short Sword." One of the three has now transitioned to just "dagger", the other two to "dirks."
The reason for the retitling is this: Edged ancient weapons are often classified by length. If one measures 36 cm (14”) or less, it is, technically, a dagger. If one measures between 36 cm (14”) and 50 cm (19.6”), it is, technically, a dirk. If one measures greater than 50 cm (19.6”) it is a sword. The new titles are meant to better conform to this standard for classification.
The former AE Dagger/Short Sword #01 is now AE Dagger #10. AE Dagger/Short Sword #02 is now reclassified as AE Dirk #01. AE Dagger/Short Sword #03 is now AE Dirk #02
And I just uploaded my latest blade, which I am calling AE Dirk #03:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=171601
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Dirk_August_21_c.jpg
Now, to be honest, I am not sure if each retitling would pass muster since I am basing these on blade lengths alone (since grips/hilts are missing). AE Dirk #03, which is a blade sans grip, measures 44.2 cm/17.4". It's a safe bet that a handle would add a couple inches below the tang - thus perhaps qualifying the weapon as a sword. (Well, unless it is actually a very long spearhead, that is - original usage is often muddy with these) Slippery slope. I'm not losing sleep over this, though. My AE Sword #01, which is also just a blade, measures 18". So why am I not calling that one a dirk too? Well, because the tip is missing on that one. So the blade itself is incomplete and was longer in antiquity. That one does qualify, then, as a sword: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=157242
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Great gallery Robert
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Thanks, Jay!
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Hi Bob,
I am always interested in your new gallery.
It’s an interesting classification idea, it all depends on whether each piece you mention and quote fits into this system, or of course you have to modify it from time to time.
Congratulations, nice work... +++
Joe
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Thanks, Q.
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My latest acquisition has forced me to change the title of my gallery from “Bronze Weaponry of Western Asia” to the more inclusive “Weaponry of Western Asia.” It is a so-called “iron mask sword,” one of only about 90 extant examples of this very strange variety of ancient Iranian weapon:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=172543
Enlargement here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Iron_Mask_Sword.jpg
From what I can tell, the remaining iron mask "swords" usually measure less than 50 cm (about 19 ½"), which is, technically, the measurement that serves as the division between the classification of a dirk and a sword. However, for whatever reason, they are nonetheless popularly referred to as swords rather than dirks in the references.
Most of the authors specializing in ancient Iranian weaponry date iron mask swords to the early first millennium BC. Oscar White Muscarella (Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art) speculates that "The homogeneity of all the swords of this class suggests that they must have been made within a relatively short period of time and by a limited number of craftsmen." It's conceivable they were manufactured by a single workshop. Muscarella goes on to discuss the complexity of their manufacture: "Technologically, swords of this class represent a remarkable accomplishment of the ancient craftsman for they are one of the most complex weapon types known from antiquity...On macroscopic examination alone one has the impression that they were made in one piece – the intent, no doubt, of the craftsmen. However, both X-ray and careful laboratory examination of many examples have demonstrated that all the swords were in fact constructed from a number of units, varying in quantity from sword to sword."
They all have disk-shaped pommels that are decorated with heads (protomes) - that hang over the edge of the disk and that seem to morph into frogs(?) on top of the pommel. They also feature grips with two molded cords, ending in guards adorned with couchant predators (lions?), and blades curiously set at a 90-degree angle to the handle.
It seems likely that these swords were created for some ceremonial purpose. Certainly, their unique form must have had some special significance. But the meaning of their iconography is lost to time.
I have been well aware of this strange variety of ancient Iranian sword for several years. That awareness was exclusively the result of research. A number of examples from the collections of major museums are well documented in reference books and websites. But, until just recently, I had not spotted any on the market. I was thus amazed to see one in an auction recently and, despite its very poor condition, I submitted what turned out to be a winning bid. Even with its many obvious flaws, it’s a standout piece in my collection. My new pickup measures 17 ½", although it has certainly lost some of its original length to the severe corrosion. I haven't weighed it, but it is quite heavy.
In my example, one of the two heads adorning the pommel seems more animal than human. I’ve provided details of one head to the left in my gallery image, details of the other to the right.
The crouching animals on either side of the guard are very hard to decipher on mine. Their rear legs are somewhat visible. But imagination may be needed to make out much more than that. They are facing inward in the details at the bottom of the picture.
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This is a stunning piece. Beautiful.
Virgil
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Thanks, Virgil!
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Interesting collection, thank you for sharing. Is weight perhaps a factor in distinguishing a spear head from a dagger?
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Congratulations. These are a really interesting type of weapon. There were several on the market back around 20 years ago. A European auction house had a bunch. Not sure if it was due to new finds or an old collection being broken up.
In any event I always liked the type and thought about getting one. Glad you did.
SC
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Thanks, gents. Shawn, if only I could go back in time to that sale you reference. Alas, that was about 17 years before I caught the weapons bug...
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An update to the weapons gallery.
Recently I uploaded an unusual dagger blade, with curved sharp spikes on either side of the tang. As I mention in the gallery listing, this type of blade has occasionally been interpreted as a spearhead, but I. M. Medvedskaya points out, in Iran: Iron Age I, that "researchers usually call them daggers". I have no idea how they would have been attached to a grip, but I've spotted the same darkened patina in the "lower" (based on my picture's orientation) part of the blade before, on other specimens. While this might suggest the point of contact with another material, it doesn't really clarify how the grip design worked. See AE Dagger #11 here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=174313
And the enlargement:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Dagger_11_b.jpg
And here’s a very special and rare dagger that I have managed to add to my collection. AE Dagger #12:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=175244
Enlargement:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Dagger_12B.jpg
It is from western Iran, possibly from Elam or Luristan, and dates to the late 3rd to 2nd millennium BC. It features a broad, leaf-shaped blade made separately from the hilt. The hilt is cast hollow and features decoration in relief (well worn), and the guard is curved. Below are some pics of similarly shaped (but mostly much nicer) daggers from various references that I regularly use: Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani’s Arms and Armor from Iran (left), P. R. S. Moorey’s Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum (center), and Houshang Mahboubian’s Art of Ancient Iran (right). The far right dagger from Mahboubian is probably closest to my modest example.
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My most recent pickup, AE Dagger #13:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=175395
Enlargement:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Dagger_13_b.jpg
It measures 16" and dates from the late second to early first millennium BC. It was produced in NW Iran - it may be Amlash. Description: mold-cast blade with wide, flat midrib; penannular guard; hilt cast upon blade via lost wax process; end of tang exposed. There was an old, possibly ancient, decorative bronze "cap" over the exposed portion of the tang. I removed it since it was not original to the blade.
I had initially assumed that the upper part of the grip may have been damaged, and thus cut away in modern times for cosmetic reasons - exposing the tip of the tang in the process. However, I just came across an online article by Babak Rafiei Alavi titled The Biography of a Dagger Type: The Diachronic Transformation of the Daggers with the Crescent-Shaped Guard: https://books.openedition.org/momeditions/8181
The following illustration of Iron Age II daggers from Iran shows two examples (I added red arrows to highlight them) from a graveyard in NW Iran, Toul-e Talesh, with the exact same clean end to their bronze grips, exposing the tips of the embedded tangs. I have no idea whether or not a pommel was somehow attached to the end of the tang. It is hard for me to believe that there would have been no decorative element on the upper part of the hilt.
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Interesting. I had never heard of Toul-e Talesh. Seems to be a small place that was fairly well protected and therefore not looted so controlled excavations were made. Apparently some items are very similar to finds from Marlik.
SC
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Here's an interesting new pickup, one that has some mystery about it:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=175683
Enlargement:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/Iron_Dagger_01.jpg
It's an iron dagger that I will be listing with question marks:
Iron Dagger #01
Parthian? Early Sassanian?
Possibly from northern or northwestern Iran
c. 1st – early 4th century AD?
22.86 cm (9 1/16”)
Since I began collecting ancient weaponry a few years back, I’ve really wanted to acquire an ancient Parthian dagger or spearhead. Since I have collected Parthian coins for thirty-plus years, a Parthian edged weapon would be a real score for me. However, they are exceedingly rare. The few examples I’ve seen on the market were – in my admittedly amateur, only-semi-informed opinion – fakes. [Including, I suspect, one currently listed at auction (May 2022) from a seller with a bad rep.]
Parthian daggers, swords, and spearheads were typically manufactured in iron. Accordingly, the examples from museum collections and references that I’ve seen are usually in fair condition at best. None that have survived are in pristine shape, it seems.
The first image below shows some documented examples, with the top three in that image from the Iran Bastan Museum, the bottom three (a sword and two daggers) excavated from graves near the Iranian village of Vestemin in northern Iran.
The second image shows more examples of Parthian swords and daggers, this time from Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani’s Arms and Armour from Iran. These are from Gilan (NW Iran), and are housed in the collection of the National Museum of Iran in Tehran. As Khorasani points out, Parthian daggers “have quillons (cross guards) similar to the quillons of the Parthian swords…”
As for my new acquisition (at the links above), the seller's listing had it as 2nd century AD Roman. While that attribution is, perhaps, possible, I think it is likely inaccurate. It is unlike any legitimate Roman daggers or “pugiones” that I have seen, all of which have more ornate grips, often in addition to differently shaped and proportioned blades. Of course, I freely admit I am no expert with any of this material.
The challenge here, of course, is the dagger’s very economical form – an example of form following function, with no embellishments or other features that might definitively tie it to a specific culture and period. It could be ancient, but then again it could be medieval.
On the other hand, it seems quite similar to the Parthian swords and daggers of the 1st through 2nd centuries AD from north and northwest Iran. The thickness and shape of the quillon is a close match, as is the blade shape and length, and the tang-like grip – which I suppose might have been embedded or wrapped in another material in antiquity.
Complicating the attribution, somewhat, is the fact that some early Sassanian (3rd – early 4th centuries AD) edged weaponry from Gilan (northwest Iran) seems nearly indistinguishable from those of the defeated Parthians, although they have sometimes survived in slightly better condition. The third image below shows early Sassanian swords from Khorasani. (Later Sassanian edged weaponry became much more ornamented.)
Given my dagger’s relatively decent condition, I suppose it could be Sassanian rather than Parthian, assuming it is indeed from ancient Iran rather than ancient or medieval Europe.
I’m hopeful I’m on the right track, but I invite other opinions that might bust my bubble.
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Wow. Nice piece.
I would have assumed from the style that it was early medieval, possible steppe nomadic. But having those documented fines is great.
In fact they show the continuity between the Roman stuff and the early medieval stuff....
SC
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Just added three very interesting spearheads to the gallery. None is a run-of-the-mill, easier-to-acquire, undecorated tanged blade.
Each is likely from Western Asia. (Two of the three are almost certainly from the Gilan region of northwestern Iran, along the southwestern coastal area of the Caspian Sea.) Each likely dates to the Early Iron Age I and II in Iran (1200 - 800 BC).
One (#26) is possibly unique in its particular combination of form and incised decoration. For this one the attribution to Western Asia - and possibly Luristan - is speculative and is based on a slight resemblance to similarly profiled, rare Luristani spearheads I've seen, such as the one I reference in the listing.
Another (#27) is very large, measuring to almost 25”. It is not only the longest spearhead I now own, but also simply the longest weapon in my collection - period.
The third (#28) is a very rare type that I have wanted for quite a while. I have known of the type only from reference books - and a single other specimen I spotted on the market.
AE Spearhead #26:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=176505
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Spearhead_26.jpg
This one (AE Spearhead #26) is a bit mysterious. Usually, I can ID my weapons with a fair degree of confidence using a number of scholarly references that I have access to. However, I’ve actually never seen any other spearhead quite like this one. The blade, which is very narrow and long, has a flattened diamond cross-section. Incised geometric decoration is occasionally encountered on ancient Iranian bronze weapons of the Early Iron Age (although more often on daggers and arrowheads), like on this hilt from my collection: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Hilt_1.jpg
AE Spearhead #27:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=176506
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Spearhead_27B.jpg
AE Spearhead #27 is a type associated with Marlik, an excavated mound in Gilan in northwest Iran. The inhabitants of Marlik “seem to have flourished from near the end of the second millennium B.C. to the beginning of the first…contemporaneously with the last Middle Assyrian kings.” (Art of the Marlik Culture by Charles K. Wilkinson, Curator Emeritus of Near Eastern Art at the Met)
While I do already own one of these with long socket and leaf-shaped blade (AE Spearhead #20 in my gallery) – this new one, at almost 25", is double the length and therefore truly special. To give a sense of how large this new monster is, I am including a pic below of the two socketed Marlik spearheads as they currently reside, side-by-side in one of my display cases. I also include reference pics of the type from Christian Konrad Piller’s Untersuchungen zur relative Chronologie der Nekropole von Marlik (Investigations on the Relative Chronology of the Necropolis of Marlik) and Ezat O. Neghaban’s Weapons from Marlik.
AE Spearhead #28:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=176507
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Spearhead_28_b.jpg
AE Spearhead #28 is a rare type also associated with Marlik. Its most striking (pardon the pun) feature is two bronze bands encircling the socket, to aid in securing the spearhead to the shaft. Reference illustrations of the type, from Piller and Neghaban, are below.
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Your collection is simply amazing. These latest pieces are incredible. Thanks for having your gallery.
Virgil
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Thanks for the nice comment, Virgil. Much appreciated.
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I just received my second Ex-John Piscopo Collection piece. This new acquisition is a small sword, missing its pommel.
AE Sword #03
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=177145
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Sword_03.jpg
I've briefly discussed John Piscopo earlier in this thread. He was a passionate and highly respected collector of ancient weaponry and, in the words of a member of the Ancient Artifacts forum, he was “the father of the Internet antiquities community.” Piscopo was 62 years old when he passed away in 2005. The collection of ancient weapons (Iranian, Southeast Asian, and European) that he amassed was one of the most important in the world. As a result, “Ex-Piscopo Collection” is significant provenance. I would say that, other than owning a deaccessioned specimen from a well-known museum collection, “Ex-Piscopo” is the most meaningful provenance one can hope for where ancient weapons are concerned.
Of course, the most distinctive feature of my latest pickup is its penannular (crescent-shaped) guard. Such guards first appeared in western Iran toward the end of the Late Bronze Age. They come in lots of different varieties. They are categorized not just by their shapes, but by their find spots and age (which is sometimes determined by context at the dig sites). According to Babak Rafiei-Alavi in The Biography of a Dagger Type: The Diachronic Transformation of the Daggers with the Crescent-Shaped Guard: “In the Late Bronze Age (1600-1300 BC), the guard has a functional role, it is part of the hilt and holds the blade. In the Iron Age I (1300-1000 BC) the functional guard was in several cases changed to a non-functional and ornamental unit. (During) the Iron Age II (1000-800 BC), this non-functional attribute was mostly transformed back to its functional trait.”
Regarding such weapons, Christian Konrad Piller states (in Notes on the So-Called ‘Daggers with a Crescent Guard’): "...daggers with such a guard do not form a homogenous type. In fact, there are several subtypes and variants which differ in their production technique and their general outline. Furthermore, there are a lot of variations concerning the shape and the cross-section of the blade and the hilt.”
Although the sword I won has some formal similarities to some Iron Age II Iranian swords of comparable size and with similar (though usually skinnier) elliptical penannular guards, it is possibly unique in its details and overall form – particularly in the boxiness of its crescent, and the way the blade’s shoulders project slightly outward from the guard. That guard is definitely functional, holding the blade in place. (It isn't just a decorative feature.) So, this sword, while possibly unique, is more akin to penannular edged weaponry of the Iron Age II than to earlier (Late Bronze Age and Iron Age I) examples. I think I can safely (though still broadly) date my sword to early first millennium BC. It was during this period that the crescent guards were occasionally used in combination with “double disk” (a.k.a. “cotton-reel”) pommels. My example presumably had a pommel in antiquity, and it may have been the double disk type.
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That is incredible, such a beautiful sword. I appreciate your stories of both the provanace and the sword itself. The more I continue in collecting, the more I appreciate provenance as it adds another layer or two to the "where has this object been and who held it" fascination.
Virgil
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Thanks, Virgil!
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A brief update here.
I see that back on July 23rd I had written about what was then a new acquisition, Spearhead #26. I wrote: "This one (AE Spearhead #26) is a bit mysterious. Usually, I can ID my weapons with a fair degree of confidence using a number of scholarly references that I have access to. However, I’ve actually never seen any other spearhead quite like this one."
Well, today, almost a half year later, I found out more and have updated the spearhead's description in my gallery: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=176505
The spearhead is an interesting and unusual type which I was not aware of prior to the purchase last summer. It is very narrow and features an elongated blade with rhomboidal cross-section, circular cross-section through the stem, square section through the tang, and decoration on the stem and shoulders.
Today, I was working on the attribution of another spearhead when I came across an illustration in a reference that very closely resembles Spearhead #26. Same tripartite form, same proportions, same cross-sectional shapes through each part.
The associated text prompted the rewrite the description in my gallery. It also makes the piece even more interesting to me. While I correctly had “Western Asia” in the original description, my speculative dating of 1200 – 800 BC (Early Iron Age I and II in Western Asia) was apparently incorrect. It may date much earlier than I had previously thought.
According to what I found out today, the spearhead is of a type associated with Mesopotamia of the late third millennium BC. My source is an essay (“Histoire des lances tripartites à soie au Proche-Orient”) by Guillaume Gernez in HIMA, Revue internationale HIMA d'Histoire Militaire Ancienne. (2016)
According to Gernez, this type is “…known throughout Mesopotamia from the beginning of DA III to Ur (grave PG 580)…and seems to have been adopted during the second half the third millennium in northern Syria at Tell Brak, Tell Chuera, Til Barsip, Ebla and as far as Cilicia (Soli).” The entire text from pp. 159-160 in HIMA, in French, is presented below:
"Cette variante aurait pu appartenir à la catégorie des piques, étant donnée la forme très pointue de la lame, mais elles sont conceptuellement et morphologiquement apparentées aux lances tripartites. Les lames sont en moyenne 10 fois plus longues que larges. Leur section est rhomboïdale, et celle de la tige est octogonale, hexagonale ou circulaire. Certaines comportent de légers décors : une lance d’Ur a par exemple une tige parcourue de 8 fins reliefs longitudinaux.
Ces lances sont connues à travers la Mésopotamie dès le début du DA III à Ur (tombe PG 580), Fara, Kirkuk et semblent adoptées au cours de la seconde moitié du IIIe mill. en Syrie du nord à Tell Brak, Tell Chuera, Til Barsip, Ebla et jusqu’en Cilicie (Soli)."
I was especially intrigued by Gernez’s reference to the “légers décors” in the first paragraph. He states, in the translation: "Some have light decorations: a spear of Ur, for example, has a stem traversed by 8 fine longitudinal reliefs." The illustration in the book simply shows them as lines. My example has eight incised longitudinal lines on the stem, creating corresponding raised bars between them. His description seems to fit my example.
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Robert,
You have an amazing collection and gallery. Simply amazing. It's always nice to correct or further refine a write-up/classification. Congrats on that.
Tracy
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Thank you, Tracy!
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That is so amazing and in remarkedly good shape.
Virgil
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Thanks, Virgil.
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There is no greater satisfaction in collecting than to identify the hitherto unidentified...
SC
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I’m quite pleased to add an important piece to my collection of ancient weaponry from Western Asia.
This one is an intact short sword from ancient NW Iran, and it dates to the early first millennium BC. It is an iconic type with a distinctive “double-ear” pommel.
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=182497
Enlargement: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/16274/AE_Sword_04_d.jpg
It measures 54.76 cm (21.56”) – and thus makes the cut (sorry!) for being a sword and not a dirk. (If it had been 50 cm or less, it would technically be a dirk.)
Here are images of similar swords from Art of Ancient Iran (by Houshang Mahboubian) and Bronze-Hilted Iron Swords from Western Asia at the Department of Archaeology, Hiroshima University (by Hisashi Nojima, Yui Arimatsu, Masahiro Fujii, Susumu Murata, Hakuhiro Ichikawa, Shohei Fujii, Naoto Morimoto). I’ve added the red arrows to indicate two examples from Mahboubian that are quite similar to mine.
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I've always loved the double-eared type though I never owned one.
SC
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That is a beautiful sword.
Virgil
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Thanks, gents.
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Great addition to your amazing collection.
Tracy
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Thank you so much, Tracy.
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I want one!!!
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Now, now, Nick. LOL. BTW, I may be laying the groundwork for an article for the next issue...we'll see. Actually been sending out feelers (to initiate research) this morn...
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Great news! Keep me posted.
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Amazing, thanks for sharing.
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Thanks, Bill.
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Acquired my second Iron Mask sword and have added it to the gallery. It's in rough shape, but will you look any better when you're three thousand years old?
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=186034
And here is a picture of the two posing together.
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That's really cool. Great provenance too.
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Thanks, Jay. If interested, more info about these here:
https://www.numisforums.com/topic/5945-iron-mask-swords/#comment-77777
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Hi Bob,
Been here for a long time, beautiful collection...
I can only congratulate you... +++
Joe/Q.
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Thanks, Q.