Lot 205

Luristan Bronze Dagger with Flanged Hilt - Iron Age Weapon

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Lot 205
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Luristan Bronze Dagger with Flanged Hilt - Iron Age Weapon
Luristan Bronze Dagger with Flanged Hilt - Iron Age Weapon
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Luristan Bronze Dagger with Flanged Hilt - Iron Age Weapon

Estimate: $600 - $900

Starting Bid: $300

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
August 7, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Western Asia, Persia, Luristan, Iron Age, ca. 1000–650 BCE. A cast bronze dagger of imposing length, its slender blade tapering from a raised medial ridge to an acute point built for the thrust. The one-piece construction flows from a broad triangular blade through a narrow-flanged grip to a flaring crescentic pommel, once fitted with organic or bone hilt-plates now lost to time. Centuries of burial have clothed the metal in a mottled patina of malachite green and earthen brown, the surface pitted and cupreous where corrosion bloomed. Forged in the mountain valleys of western Iran, such weapons served the warrior-herders of Luristan as both practical armament and emblem of martial standing. Interred with their owners, they speak to a culture whose bronzeworkers achieved a virtuosity in casting that remains among the most celebrated of the ancient Near East. Size: 15.1" L x 1.3" W (38.4 cm L x 3.3 cm W).

The bronzes of Luristan, produced by seminomadic pastoralists in the Zagros mountains during the early first millennium BCE, are prized for their inventive forms: horse-bits, standards, pins, and weaponry recovered largely from tomb contexts. Daggers and dirks of this type, cast in a single piece with integral hilt and flanged tang to secure grip inlays, illustrate the transitional metallurgy of the region as bronze gave way to iron. Their frequent deposition in graves underscores the enduring link between the warrior and his blade.

Provenance: private Englewood, Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Colorado, USA collection, acquired in 1950s

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Item # 203811

  • Condition: Loss to folds on shoulder on one side and chipping to blade edge and edges of hilt. Hilt was inlaid with an organic material that is now lost. Otherwise, very nice with rich patina and earthen deposits throughout.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000