6th century BC. An iron dagger with hilt clad in sheet-silver and shaped as the head and neck of a horse, the mane of the horse in low-relief, large suspension ring to the side of the hilt; a sheet-silver mount with guttering mounted on a modern acrylic scabbard for display. See Schmidt, E.F., Persepolis II, Contents of the Treasury and other discoveries, Oriental Institute Publications Volume LXIX, Chicago, 1957; Zoka, Y., Arteshe Shahanshahi Iran Az Kurosh Ta Pahlavi (The Royal Army of Iran from Kurosh to Phalavil), Tehran, 1971; Head, D., The Achaemenid Persian Army, Stockport, 1992; Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran - The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tuebingen, 2006.495 grams, 43cm (17"). Previously in the collection of a respected gentleman, acquired before 1985; accompanied by an archaeological expertise by Dr. Raffaele D’Amato; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10486-171119. According to Zoka, the Achaemenids did not use long swords but instead used short swords called akenakes, the length varying between 40 to 50 cm. The akenakes of the Median Guards from the Persepolis reliefs (east face of the council hall), are represented as straight daggers with a short hilt, without decoration. But the akenakes of the king’s weapon bearer (southern relief from the Persepolis treasury) has a heavily decorated sheath. Most of the swords and daggers found in Persepolis are made in iron and have hilts made in bronze, but some finds from Persepolis suggest also the possibility of hilts were made in silver.