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Large Pictures
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Some bronze swords
shown in the Schleswig-Holstein
Landesmuseum, Schleswig, Germany.
The one in the middle is a modern replica, showing the splendor of these swords
when they were nicely polished. |
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Link to text |
Source: Photographed 2014 at Schleswig-Holstein
Landesmuseum, Schleswig, Germany |
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Thrusting swords
shown in Schleswig. Note the pronounced central ridge. |
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Link to text |
Source: Photographed 2014 at Schleswig-Holstein
Landesmuseum, Schleswig, Germany |
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Bronze swords shown
in in the Dublin / Irland museum |
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Source: Photographed 2015 in the Dublin
museum |
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Source: Photographed 2015 in the Dublin
museum |
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The archaeological
museum in Stockholm has several interesting bronze swords on its (badly lit)
display, including one with a golden handle: |
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Source: Photographed 2015 in the Stockholm
museum |
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The Eemitage in St.
Petersburg, while world famous for its pictures and baroque affluence,
also has an archaeological department where (badly lit and described) swords
and other things are shown.
Here are some (eastern?) bronze swords with somewhat unusual shapes: |
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Source: Photographed 2015 in the Eremitage;
St. Petersburg |
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Bronze swords and
spear points form the so-called Huelva hoard
found in Spain.
There is some debate if these swords belong the the "carp's tongue
type" common in western and eastern
Europe around 1000 BC. The blade of the carp's tongue sword was wide and
parallel for most of its length but the
final third narrowed into a thin tip intended
for thrusting. The design was probably developed in north western France and
combined the broad blade useful for slashing
with a thinner, elongated tip suitable for thrusting. Many carp's tongue swords
have been found in England. |
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Link to text
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Source: Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid,
Spain |
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The famous
Rørby sword - only two of this kind have been found so far (in Denmark?)
says
the Copenhagen museum.
On top is the one with the engraved boat.
However, there is at least one in Stockholm,/ Sveden, see below |
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Here is the
Stockholm sword, found in Östergötland, Heda, Norrö and
dated to 1700 BC - 1500 BC: |
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Link to text |
Source: Photographed 2015 in the Stockholm museum
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And yet another one from Lund in
Sveden |
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Bronze swords were
very expensive. If you couldn't afford one, you could still try to emullate one
using flintstone.
Here are examples. |
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Khopesh
or sickle sword; typically bronze but some iron ones have also
been found. The khopesh (or khepesh) evolved from battle axes; around 1300 BC
it became
outdated. King Tut's khopesh is thus about "the end of the line".
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Tutankhamun's bronze khopesh; ca, 1350 BC
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Egyptian iron khopesh from Shechem
ca. 1800 BC; with electron (Au / Ag alloy) ornamentation |
Assyrian bronze sickle sword; ca, 1300 BC
Metropolitan |
Link to text |
Source: Internet at large |
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The Assyrian sword bears the
cuneiform inscription: "Palace of Adad-nirari, king of the universe, son
of Arik-e-ili, king of Assyria, son of Enlil-nirare, king of Assyria". One
is inclined to believe that it belonged to Adad-nirari who lived from ca. 1307 BC - 1275
BC. The sword has no working edge. |
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Here we have three
Luristan iron swords from a private
Portuguese collection.
The swords are almost perfectly preserved. While they are very similar, they do
show individual differences.
Then a sword sold at an auction, and a sword I found in the Israel museum in
Jerusalem. |
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Note that a bit of some sheath is still clinging
to the blade |
Link
to text
Source left: M. M. Khorasani: "Arms and Armor from Iran",
Legat Verlag, Tübingen 2006 |
Source: Photographed in the Israel Museum in Nov. 2017
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Source: Photographed in the Brussels museum for art and
historxy, March 2019 |
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Link to text |
Source: M. M. Khorasani: "Arms and Armor from
Iran", Legat Verlag, Tübingen 2006 |
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These two specimen live in the bowels
of the "LACMA" (Los Angeles County
Museum of Art); they are part of the
Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection of
Ancient Near Eastern and Central Asian Art.
The one on the left is peculiar. Only the
heads are slightly corroded, the rest is
like new and missing the "lions". |
Link
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Source: LACMA (and PinInterest, and ....)
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Source: Interent, formerlyyAlamy but without
further reference |
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This picture shows
the structure of the blade of the Toronto Luristan iron sword.
The scale is not given but it is something like 5 mm across. The surface-near
regions are substantially
lower in carbon than the center. This is probably due to de-carburization
during extensive heating and forging |
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We have two Assyrian
princes with swords on a limestone relief in the Khorsabad Palace;
Reign of Sargon II, 721 - 705 BC. Note that the one on the right seems to have
been "shaved" by some stone mason |
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Below we see the Assyrian king
Ashurnasirpal II (ca. 883-859 B.C.) carrying a long sword besides his two
akinakai-type daggers. Note that the
chape pf the
scabbard is of the "winged
chape" variety,
hinting at use
from
horse back. |
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Some Greek or
better Macedonian body builders hunting a lion with a spear and a kopis /
falcata.
Note that the falcata would nit fit into the sheath. |
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Link to text |
Source: Mosaic from Pella (ancient Macedonia) 400 BC -
300 BC. Pella Archaeological Museum; open domain |
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Hunting lions with
a sword and loosing, it seems. |
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Link to text |
Source:Photographed 2013 in a late Roman villa in
Sicily, near Noto |
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A
"Griffzungenschwert" ("Naue II type") from Altena castle;
Germany.
About 1000 BC and from the general region. |
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Link to text |
Source: Photographed 2014at Altena castle museum
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The "Neues
Museum" Berlin shows a Kopis / Falcata that it attributes to Spain: |
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Link
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Source: Photographed 2015 in the "Neues
Museum",. Berlin
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Here is the
Budapest falcata: |
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Link
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Source: Photographed 2015 in the National Museum,
Budapest, Hungary |
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Here is an iron
sword in the shape of a bronze sword: |
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The text of the auction house (Timeline Auctions,
July 2017)
IRON AGE EARLY BRITISH CELTIC SWORD 12th-10th century BC
An iron sword copying a typical pattern of the Late Bronze Age period, of
generally Ewart Park form, the blade tapering from
the point to its widest and tapering again to the flared hilt with a pronounced
central rib to the full length; the hilt (lacking the
extremity) with two surviving rivets that would have secured organic hilt
scales.
Extremely rare. Reputedly found in East Anglia, early 20th century, during dyke
cutting operations.
Footnotes The change from bronze to iron as primary material for weapons and
implements happened slowly and spread to Britain
from Europe; this sword is a direct copy in iron of a classic bronze type and
the ironsmith who made it must have been familiar
with the traditional bronze sword forms, indicating an early date and it was
possibly imported from Europe. As such it represents
a fascinating and important link between the two cultures of metalworking that
started in the Proto-Celtic Hallstatt culture. |
Link to text |
Source:Timeline Auctions, July 2017 |
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Here is the newly
(2020) Arslantepe sword found in a monastery in Venice |
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Link to text |
Source: InternetM ascribed to Andrea Avezzu /
University of Venice |
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Here is the full
drawing of the lost relief showing the taking of a Mannean fortress in 715 BC,
as depicted on a now lost relief from room 14 (slab 2) of Sargon II's palace at
Khorsabad |
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Link to text |
Sources: Internet articel: Mannea, a forgotten kingdom
of Iran. Karen Radner, 'Mannea, a forgotten kingdom of Iran', Assyrian empire
builders, University College London, 2013 |
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With frame

Sword Types
Fire Welding
Discussion of the "Cut Sword" Findings
Part 1 Basics about Scythians and Their Akinakai
Critical Museum Guide: Metropolitan Museum, NYC
Critical Museum Guide: Museums in Copenhagen
Critical Museum Guide: Landesmuseum Schleswig-Holstein in Schleswig,
Germany
Israel Museum
Museums in Paris
Sword Parts
11.2.1 Background to Celtic Swords
Sword Places: Luristan
11.1.3 The The Luristan Iron Sword
11.1.2 The Bronze Sword
11.1.4 Swords of Major Near East Powers in the 1st Millennium BC
More Luristan Swords
11.1.1 The Early Sword
Early Iron Making Empires in the Middle East / Mediterranean
Aditional Pictures
Sword Places
Bronze Colors
First Iron Swords - Reliefs / Sculptures with Swords and Daggers
© H. Föll (Iron, Steel and Swords script)