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This module contains an unsystematic collection of bi-metal sword pictures plus
whatever information is available. This is usually not all that much because almost all pictures show unprovenanced swords,
found in the antiquity trade. |
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First some pictures of bi-metal swords that I have already presented elsewhere
in this Hyperscript: |
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Left: Auction catalogue; identified
as Luristani, 1000 BC.
Middle
: Teheran Museum, dated to probably 1000 BC. From Khorasani's book. "Not excavated, confiscated".
Right: The "Essen" sword investigated and
(wrongly) assigned to 1200 BC Hittite by Yalcin. Provenance is given as "?"; i.e. it was not excavated.
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Two more swords from unclear sources: |
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Left: From somewhere in the
Internet without identification and description. Probably not from an excavation
Right: Acquired at an auction and donated to the Brussels
Royal Museum of History and Art. It is also an example of a "cotton reel pommel"
sword. |
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Next three remarkably well preserved examples offered at an auction (Timeline)
in Feb. 2021 and obviously not excavated: |
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Three bi-metallic swords offered at an auction in Feb. 2021.
Described as "Western
Asiatic Luristan Swords" |
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The sword in the middle shows traces of (mineralized) wood from the sheath on
the blade. This might allow to determine the age of the wood (and thus possibly an educated guess at the age of the blade)
except that (German) institutes capable of doing advanced radiocarbon dating will not touch "unprovenanced" objects
because the German "Kulturgutschutzgesetz"
interferes. |
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Next I show are all the pictures of bi-metallic swords I found in the scientific
literature with the relevant figure caption |
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Left: From H. Tsumoto's article: "The Urartian sword: its origin, distribution
and political background. Bulletine of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan vol. LII No. 1, pp. 119-137 (in Japanese)".
We might assume that is from a dig but who knows.
Right: From Piller's article. The sword comes from the "market", i.e. not from a dig. |
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Once more: Even this sword was not scientifically excavated. Obviously no good
picture of an excavated one was available for the article. |
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That's it in June 20121. I do not claim that there are not more bi-metallic swords
around, in museums as well as in private hands. There certainly are. I do claim, however, that they are not ubiquitous and
that most of them come from unscientific digs. I also claim that just one (the "Essen" sword) has ever been metallographically
analyzed. |
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Given the importance of these swords for understanding the development of early
iron technology, it follows: |
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We must move these swords from
private hands into the public
domain (i.e. suitable museums)
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Now some new findings |
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Timeline Auction, Sept. 2019. Described as:
Western Asiatic Luristan Bronze Hilted Long
Sword; 8 - 7th century BC; 77 cm long |
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On sale (June 20121) by Ancient & Oriental in London. Described as:
"Large Luristan
Bronze Sword with Iron Blade. Date: Circa 1800-600 BC" |
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All these swords must have been very expensive show-off items for the rich and
mighty. It is surprising, up to a point, that none bears an inscription giving the name of its owner. Could it be that these
swords were so rare and distinctive that this was unnecessary since all and sundry new that this was King Assur Slimeball's
famous sword? |
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Next we have two good ones: |
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Left: "A North-West Persian Iron Sword; early first millennium BC"; recently
sold by Christies (together with the bronze sword)
Right: A uncommented pictures from a sword lovers blog. Remarkably well preserved and with a "double
disc pommel" hilt |
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The hilt of the one on the right looks rather like the one of the British Museum pastche |
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So, yes, bi-metal swords (and daggers) were plentiful, sort of. There might be
as many as Luristan mask swords (around a 100) or even some more floating around in the "market".
Here are
two swords that came up in a recent auctions: |
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Offered at an auctions (Catawiki) in June 2021
Described as: Bronze Age Iron Extremely
large Luristan sword - 830×45×3 mm |
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Sold at an auction by Catawiki. Described as:
"Rare Bronze and Iron Sword - 51.7×6.3×4.2
cm" |
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Next some short bi-metal swords or daggers: |
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| Found on the Internet page "Ancient to Medieval (And Slightly Later) History"; Nov.
2013. Described as:" Persian Bronze and Iron Short Swords, Late 2nd - early 1st Millennium BC" |
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The next one is on sale by Hermann Historica in June 2021. It's blade is heavily
corroded but the hilt is a bit unusual and richly decorated |
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| Described as: "Eisenschwert mit Bronzegriff; Luristan,. 9. - 8. Jhdt. v. Chr. |
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I still have to see a bi-metal sword being displayed in a museum, though. It is
a bit curious that many Luristan mask swords have .made it from the market to museums
(by donations or outright buying) but obviously not many bi-metal swords.
I also still need to see a bi-metallic sword
that was excavated. Well - here it is (perhaps): |
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© H. Föll (Iron, Steel and Swords script)
With frame
Books and Other Major Sources