Sale 213 Lot 230

Pair of Iron Age Luristan-Style Bronze Daggers This pair of Luristan-style bronze daggers (or short swords) which likely date back to the Iron Age, roughly between 1000 and 650 BCE, originating from the mountainous regions of modern-day Lorestan, Iran. The distinctive "ear" or crescent-shaped pommels and the straight, double-edged blades with a central mid-rib for structural strength are hallmarks of the skilled metalworking traditions of the ancient Near East. These weapons were not only functional but often served as funerary objects, buried with warriors to signify their status and provide protection in the afterlife, and their heavy green oxidation (patina) is a natural result of centuries of burial in mineral-rich soil. Length (longest item): 20.5 inches
$500-700

PROVENANCE: Present lot was acquired by Bennett Schiff (1920-2014), a member of the U.S. Foreign Service who served as press attaché in Nicosia, Cyprus, and Tehran from 1962 until 1967.He moved to Washington, DC, in 1967 to work as a consultant to the Peace Corps, the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Ford Foundation, the Inter-American Foundation, and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.