Central Asia, Scytho-Siberian, ca. 5th century BCE. A gorgeous, rare, iron dagger in incredible condition for its age, with 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 simple, rounded-corner piece of iron. The acinaces was usually 14 to 18 inches long, like this one, and are 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. Size: 2.1" W x 15.7" H (5.3 cm x 39.9 cm)

This particular example is from Siberia, where the people we know as the Scythians or Scytho-Siberians left behind amazing tombs full of precious metalwork. A dagger very similar but with gold plating on the guard and center of blade has been found in the royal necropolis in Tuva, in southern Siberia. As shown in artwork from the period, the Scythians wore them hanging from a belt; in Kazakhstan they wore them strapped to the leg. Although horse warfare is what the Scythians are famous for, their weapons and saddles, lacking hard stirrups, seem better suited to dismounting and melee fighting; the acinaces would have been a primary weapon in that kind of situation.

Provenance: Ex-Private LA County collection formed over the period between 1980 and 2000.

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#117390

Excellent form with slight iron corrosion that has been stabilized.