Rare Scythian Iron Acinaces Sword

Central Asia, Scytho-Siberian, ca. 5th century BCE. A gorgeous, rare, iron dagger in incredible condition for its age, with a long, thin blade and a guard shaped like two cherries hanging on a vine, or alternately the upper part of a heart; the handle is incised into tripartite sections of iron, but was forged at the same time as the blade (the guard and top of hilt are also iron, but were cast onto the iron of blade and handle; this is clearly shown under close examination of this object). The top of the hilt is a pair of curled loops. Size: 2" W x 13.3" H (5.1 cm x 33.8 cm)

The acinaces was usually 14 to 18 inches long, like this one, and most famously associated with the Persians, who also give us the word for this type of dagger; however, like many things from the 1st millennium BCE, we associate them with the Persians because Classical authors noted their use (and the word continued to be used into the medieval period by authors in Latin to describe any weapon used by the Persians, including the scimitar). In reality, acinaces, whatever they were called by the local population, were used throughout a vast swath of territory encompassing the eastern Mediterranean, the Near East and central Asia, by such diverse cultures as the Persians, the Parthians, the Medes, the Greeks, and the Scythians.

Provenance: private Tennessee, USA collection, purchased at Auctions Imperial, Nevada, USA in 2017

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#150413 Dimensions: Condition Report: Small losses from peripheries along blade and hilt, with a pitted surface from weathering. Excellent iron patina.