ANCIENT AKINAKES IRON SWORD
Similar Sale History
View More Items in Weapons & ArmorRelated Weapons & Armor
More Items in Weapons & Armor
View MoreRecommended Collectibles
View MoreItem Details
Description
Ca. 600-400 BC. Eastern Mediterranean. A well preserved short iron sword of the akinakes type (Greek ἀκῑνάκης') with a pointed bevelled blade, wide, flat guard, rectangular grip, and a slightly curved crescent moon-shaped pommel; custom-made stand included. The akinakes, a short straight sword, became very well known to fifth-century BC Greeks, who recognised it as 'the Persian sword' (Herodotus 7.54.2), and collected them as part of their war booty (Herodotus 9.80.2) - inventories show that a good number of akikanes swords were dedicated on the Athenian Acropolis as a votive offering to Athena (Miller 1997, 47). Akinakes swords can be identified on the reliefs at Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, where men in Persian dress can be seen wearing it thrust through the knot of their robes. Akinakes were also used by the Medes, Scythians, the Caspii, and later by the Greeks themselves. Akinakes were made most commonly of iron, but some examples survive in gold, which Herodotus (8.120) tells us were a standard royal gift: Xerxes, for instance, gave a gold akinakes to the Hellespont along with a gold phiale and a bowl (Herodotus 7.54.2). To find out more about akinakes swords, see Miller, M. C. (1997). Athens and Persia in the Fifth Century BC: A Study in Cultural Receptivity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 46-48. Size: L:500mm / W:77mm ; 460g. Provenance: From the private collection of an Oxford gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
Buyer's Premium
- 20% up to £100,000.00
- 20% above £100,000.00
ANCIENT AKINAKES IRON SWORD
Estimate £600 - £900
4 bidders are watching this item.
Shipping & Pickup Options
Item located in London, London, ukOffers In-House Shipping
Local Pickup Available
Payment
TOP