Large Pictures
	The picture below is a composite of pictures found in the article of D. Topai "Scythian Akinakai Between Carpathians and Dniester. The Structure of a Storm". It is quite helpful for dating the "stray finds" akinakai.
	Chronology of Akinakai types Link to text

	Frieze from Persepolis with guys wearing daggers that do not look like Scythian akinakai. The inset from a different frieze shows a dagger that might be of the Scythian "bollocks" type.
	Link to text

	What follows are some famous "gold" akinakai (the blade is made from iron, of course)
	The famous "Scythian "Boars Head Sword and Scabbard", from a burial mount (kurgan) near the village of Velika Bilozerka, Ukaine. It dates to the last third of the 4th century BC, i.e. to about 330 BC. Source: All oer the Net Link to text

	A "gold akinaka" that the dutch have to returned to the Ukraine, from where it was stolen some time ago. The age is a bit unclear, probably from roughly 400 BC. Note the very unusual forked blade. Source: All over the Net Link to text

	Here is the figure caption from the Hermitage: "Scythian Culture; short sword – dagger (Akinaka) made of gold and iron. 7th century BC, Dnieper Area Hermitage Museum, St.Petersburg/ Russia Source: Heremitage Internet pages Link to text

	Following a few more "gold" akinakoi dorm the Hewremitgae in St. Petersburg:
	Here is the figure caption from the Hermitage: "Overlay fore a sword scabbard. Scythian culture, 350 - 325 BC. Place of finding: Dnieper region near Nikopol. Source: Heremitage Internet pages Link to text

	Here is the figure caption from the Hermitage: Overlay for a sword scabbard, Created Scythian culture, 350 - 325 BC. Place of finding: Dnieper region near Nikopol. Source: Heremitage Internet pages Link to text

	Here is the figure caption from the Hermitage: Hilt of Achaemenid sword Overlay for a sword scabbard, Created Scythian culture, 5th - 4th century BC. Place of finding: Right bank of lower Dnieper region near Nikopol. Source: Heremitage Internet pages Link to text

	Also from the Hermitage but photographed by me in 2015. My Russian was not good enough to understand the text. It is probably not much different from the one above. Source: Photographed in the Hermitage in 2015

	A "true" Akinaka found last year (2019) at "Mount Mamai" in the Ukraine. It dates from the 6th century BC The detail shows the hilt after some cleaning.
	Source: All over the News / Net

	Here we have a Scythian chieftain, one supposes, sitting on top of his kurgan. He is definitely a male of the species and made sure that you notice that. Besides the real things he also sports a bollocks type of akinaka. There is a likeness.
	Kurgan stelae of a Scythian (fondling his i-phone?) at Khortytsia, Ukraine Insets show the bollocks parts with some contrast enhancement Link to the text Source: Wikipedia

	Here is a somewhat unusual Cimmerian dagger, with possible connections to weapons in the far east around 900 BC or so.
	Cimmerian Iron dagger and gold faced scabbard. Found in a mound burial near the village of Belogradec, Varna district (VII c. BC). National Archaeological Museum - Sofia Link to the text

	Thracian sicas
	Thracian sica Source: Found on Pininterest, original source not disclosed Krummmesser, dakisch, 1. Jhdt. v. - 1. Jhdt. n. Chr. Source: Hermann Historica auctions Fall 2022 Link to the text

	Here is a large picture of some other daggers / swords displayed in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg. They come from the Hermitage homepage where you can find these pictures (after some searching). The major data given are included. If these weapons come from Urartu may be a bit uncertain; the museum doesn't mention it,
	Swords / daggers from the Hermitage very much like the ones in the backbone part Link to the text

	Here is a contrast-enhanced X-ray picture of the bollock part of Scythian akinaka No. 4. It does show some internal structure (marked by the arrows) but I won't speculate what it might be besides pointing out that the fained "lines" correspond to the continuation of the blade inside the guard bollocks.
	X-ray of bollock parts of a Scythian akinaka showing some peculiarities (marked by the arrows) Link to the text

	Here are large pictures of the two akinakai discussed in the text:
	Akinaka No. 6 "as received" and after cleaning / grinding / polishing Link to the text

With frame

Sword Types

Part 1 Basics about Scythians and Their Akinakai

11.1.4 Swords of Major Near East Powers in the 1st Millennium BC

Scythian Special Large Pictures

Scythian Special

First Iron Swords

Scythian Akinakai

Literature to "Scythian Special"

© H. Föll (Iron, Steel and Swords script)