Western Asiatic Bronze Large Sword blade with long tang

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Title

Western Asiatic Bronze Large Sword blade with long tang

Description

Western Asiatic Bronze sword. Perfectly preserved sword with a long full tang. The blade's shoulders are round at hilt, blade with a wide flat tang merging into a triangular midrib at half of blades length. There is a round shadow of hilt guard on the forte, and a patch of organic glue on the neck shows under UV light.

Catalogue Number

443999642

Category

Swords & Daggers

Period

1300--900 BCE

Culture

Luristan, Assyrian, Babylonian, Near Eastern

Material

Bronze

Dimensions and weight

L: 550 mm W: 42 mm, D: 6,2 mm, weight 350g.

Reference Items

Dr Khorasani classifies this blade as a Type VI spearhead (Cat. 275) Moshtagh Khorasani, M. (2006). Arms and armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the end of the Qajar period. Legat Verlag., p. 628. Specimen described by Dr Khorasani is 47 cm long, width at forte 40 mm, weight 331 g, with slightly more squared shoulder, attributed to Marlik/Gabur Heshlag, Marlik Royal cemetery, 14th-10th C. BCE. National Museum of Iran No 25383/8380. Attribution as a sword is backed by the round shadow of hilt guard on the forte of this specimen.

Historical Significance

Bronze swords represent the pinnacle of pre-iron weapon technology. Casting a long blade required precise control of the copper-tin alloy ratio (typically ~10% tin), mould design, and cooling rate. This metallurgical knowledge, developed over centuries of empirical practice, represents one of the great achievements of ancient technology.

Curator Rating

5.0

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