Description:

Modern-day India / Pakistan, ca. 2nd millennium BCE. This is a large, flat dagger in a leaf shape with a slight ridge and a flared hilt. This object is part of a currently mysterious tradition. In the 1870s, farmers in northern India uncovered hoards of copper that had been hidden for centuries. Early archaeological studies thought that the creators of these copper hoards might have been refugees, fleeing the fall of the Harappan culture in modern-day southern Pakistan/northern India; others speculated that these hoards belonged to the indigenous Nishada people, mentioned in the Vedic texts and replaced by the Aryans. Studies on the copper items revealed little use-wear, suggesting that most of these pieces were just made to be deposited in the ground. Size: 12.55" L x 1.5" W (31.9 cm x 3.8 cm). Size: 10.5" L x 3.45" W (26.7 cm x 8.8 cm).

Provenance: Ex-Estate of John Piscopo. Mr. Piscopo was one of the largest collectors of ancient weapons in the US with a collection that spanned all cultures, all ages.

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#112341

  • Condition: The piece has a heavy patina and slight losses to the edges of the blade. It has been repaired across the middle of the blade, but the repair is fairly unobtrusive.

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February 16, 2016 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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