Near East, Levant, probably Sumerian or similar, ca. 2nd millennium BCE. A fascinating and rare bronze sword of sickle shape, with a long, slightly curved tang projecting from one end. The blade is sharpened on the curved exterior edge. Curved swords are found throughout the ancient Near East; it is similar to the khopesh from Egypt, often found in royal tombs, including that of Tutankhamun. The sickle sword was cast as a single piece of bronze and then hammered into shape by a master artisan; the single-edged blade was used for cutting and slashing. The tang would have been covered with wood, bone, leather, ivory, or some other perishable material to form a handle and grip. Size: 20" L x 1.75" W (50.8 cm x 4.4 cm)

In Mesopotamia, curved swords were symbols of authority, frequently depicted in the hands of gods and monarchs. The relatively dull nature of this particular example may mean that it was never used in battle but instead was used in ceremonies as an emblem of royal power.

See a similar example without its tang exposed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (11.166.1).

Provenance: private J. Connell collection, Massachusetts, USA

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#127386

Dark, smooth patina on surface. A hole has been drilled through the blade end sometime in the past (it is definitely not recent but probably not contemporary to the production of the blade).