Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Dong Son Culture, ca. late 1st millennium BCE. A beautiful example of a cast bronze short sword with a broad, flat blade that stays wide down much of its length before abruptly tapering to a point. The handle is almost as long as the blade, with two tiny loops at the guard and a wide, flattened cylinder forming the pommel. The top of the pommel has a square inlay that may once have contained a jewel, piece of ivory, or some other precious material. Size: 2.2" W x 14.65" H (5.6 cm x 37.2 cm)

The casting technique for Dong Son bronzes was demanding artistically and technically, and it seems likely based on archaeological investigation that they were made by local workshops staffed by specialists. These specialists shared knowledge throughout their geographic region, and weapons like this one are constructed similarly to those from the Warring States period in China, with a distinctive Dong Son flare. We know of them mainly from burials, and it seems that bronze items - both the making of and ownership of - were controlled by a limited elite who used them to acquire and maintain power over their own people. As elsewhere in the Old World, there is a clear relationship between sophisticated bronze metallurgical technology and the development of a highly stratified, militaristic society.

Provenance: private J. Connell collection, Massachusetts, USA; ex Piscopo collection

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#127382

Encrusted, pale green patina covers surface. Tip is lost, with tiny losses along the blade edge.