Northwestern Iran (Possibly) / Sword and scabbard / 7th century A.D.Northwestern Iran (Possibly)
Sword and scabbard
7th century A.D.

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Creator Nationality: Asian; Middle Eastern; Persian
Creator Name-CRT: Northwestern Iran (Possibly)
Title: Sword and scabbard
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 600
Creation End Date: 699
Creation Date: 7th century A.D.
Object Type: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Classification Term: Arms
Materials and Techniques: Blade: iron; scabbard and hilt: gold over wood, garnets, glass-paste jewels; guard: gilt-bronze
Dimensions: L. 39 1/2 in. (100.3 cm)
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 65.28a, b
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1965
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/
Context:

Kings of the Sasanian period (224-651 A.D.) are almost always depicted with a sword suspended from the belt, a motif appropriate to the victor in combat. This iron sword with a gold-covered wooden scabbard is a splendid example of the type adopted by the Sasanians from the Hunnish nomads who roamed Europe and Asia in the sixth and seventh centuries, shortly before the beginning of the Islamic era. It has a long and narrow grip with two finger rests, and the scabbard has a pair of P-shaped projections to which two straps of different lengths were originally attached. The straps held the sword suspended from the warrior's belt in such a way that it could easily be drawn even by a warrior on horseback.

The sword itself is inlaid with garnets and glass, and a pattern of overlapping feathers decorates the surface. That a similar pattern can be seen on the helmet of a Sasanian warrior has led scholars to suggest it may be symbolic of the Zoroastrian god of victory, Verethragna. Several other swords of this type are known, some mounted in gold, some in silver. Stylistically and technically, they are all very similar, although the present example is by far the most elaborate of the group.


AMICA ID: MMA_.65.28a,b
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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