North-Western Persian Type Sword Blade
1st millennium B.C. With rounded shoulders and shallow square-sectioned mid-rib running to the blade tip; short tang with fastening hole. Cf. Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 2, London, 2004, item 40, p.36. 220 grams, 37 cm (14 1/2 in.).

Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.

The Luristan people produced fine metalwork, which according to Dr. Khorasani, was made possible by a settled period which arose as a result of the defeat of the Elamites by the Babylonians, leaving the Luristani people in relative peace for a period of time after 1200 B.C. According to Khorasani, 'A culture of innovation and experimentation flourished, and the repertoire of the Luristan smiths expanded in the period between 1150-1050 BC.' It became widespread throughout Mesopotamia, the Caucasus and the Near East.