878 - Dagger with a horse-head pommel and an axe blade, bronze, eastern regions of the Near East, late 1st millennium B.C.

Dagger with a horse-head pommel and an axe blade, bronze, eastern regions of the Near East, late 1st millennium B.C. 1) Dagger with a blade tapering toward the tip, curving outward and then inward at the tip. Wide central ridge and very shallow, narrow bevels in front of the cutting edges. The hilt is attached by a wrap-around casting in front of the upper end of the blade. The guard is trapezoidal in plan view and oval in cross-section, ending at the top in a bulging rim from which the slightly more contoured edge strips with slightly indented sides extend. Between them is a cavity designed to accommodate grip plates made of organic material. At the top, the edge strips merge into a slightly upward-facing horse’s head, with a detailed bridle and anatomical features. Dark green patina with slight incrustations and scattered corrosion marks. The cutting edges are partially chipped. Length 31.7 cm. 2) A small axe with a blade shaped like a broad crescent at the front; the blade, tapering backward, is set off by a broad bevel. From the backward-pointing ends of the cutting edge, the blunt edges of the sides curve elegantly outward toward the “arms,” which also extend backward and then curve inward toward the handle, which has straight, parallel edges. The straight neck, running at a right angle to the edges, is slightly hammered. Dark green patina with slight encrustation and minimal corrosion marks. Length 13.8 cm. CULTURAL HERITAGE! Condition: II