A Most Exotic & Impressive Indian Double Bladed Short Sword. This Actual Rare Short Sword or Long Dagger Was Featured Within The Lyle Arms and Armour Review Exactly 40 Years Ago in 1983

A previous specialist collector acquired this uniquely intriguing piece exactly 40 years ago from a world famous specialist auction, and allowed its inclusion in the annual Lyle Antiques Review book for inclusion.
This amazing piece is most reminiscent of the Indian double bladed bichwa, an assassins dagger from the old Mughal era.
Its twin serpent blades have twin fullers, a cast silvered-brass hilt, decorated with ornate designs.

To use such an extravagant weapon one would have had to have been very skilled and highly trained in its use, for the potential for the holder to do harm to his self must have been quite great.

It is so unusual that many today have never seen a surviving example like it before, and thus assumed that no example, or even a record of them, any longer existed. Incredibly, however, just recently we have found how that assumption was entirely mistaken. When we had acquired the dagger, the last previous owner mentioned to us this actual piece was photographed, and described, forty years ago, when it was published in 1983, within a highly respected reference book of fine arms, The Lyle Official Arms and Armour Review for 1983, {on page 34.}. But he had lost his original copy.
We then decided to trace a copy, and we were fortunately quickly successful. Within the book It is indeed listed, and photographed, and was described, complete with its auction sale price, {310 Dollars} at that time, as follows;

"Rare Indian U shaped double thrusting dagger, slightly waved bi-fullered double edged blades with squared ricassos, chisseled silvered brass grip with flowers and foliage".

We show a photograph in the gallery of its entry, photograph and listing with price, within the book. It also clearly shows what a sound financial investment this particular piece had become over the passing four decades.

It is a very attractive collectors item, likely 19th century, and without doubt a remarkable conversation piece. One Indian weaponry specialist once remarked he has seen a similar example once before in a museum in Delhi. It was within a one piece twin blade scabbard mounted upon an armoured horse’s parade saddle, with a display of a seated warrior upon the horse, adorned in a full suite of gold inlaid Mughal parade armour. It was, in his opinion, a short sword, to be used by a warrior while held in his left hand, when in combat if dismounted on foot, with a tulwar sword held in his right hand. A weapon effective as much as for intimidation as for function.

17.5 inches long overall.  read more

Code: 22521

British Army CWC W10 Watch. Formerly From A British Tank Regiment, 'Tanker' Serviceman. Excellent Quality Service Issue Timepiece, Iraq War Era Issue

With original military strap. New battery fitted and time checked. Beneath the 12 o’clock triangle marker is the encircled CWC insignia, and below that, is the encircled ‘T’ marker, which was the British military way to denote that the dial uses luminous material containing tritium. Government Broad Arrow inspection stamp. Service code, followed by ‘6645’ representing ‘Time Measuring Instrument’ and ‘99’ referring to the UK Nato country code, & Serial number with batch date, 1997

The CWC, or Cabot Watch and Clock Co. saw its inception in 1972 by Ray Mellor. Mellor got his start in the watch industry working for Hamilton to set up a retail distribution network in the United Kingdom. He would build on that opportunity and become the managing director for Hamilton UK, as well as spearheading the development of government contracts with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The CWC name actually gets its inspiration from the famed explorer John Cabot, an Italian explorer, known for his notable voyage from Bristol to the continent of North America in the late 1400’s.

Between 1972 and 1980, Mellor secured additional contracts under the CWC brand with the MoD and provided the Royal military with the W10, their tonneau shaped field watch and their asymmetric chronograph pilots watch, which would be issued to the RAF, as well as BBC war correspondents. In 1980.  read more

Code: 25067

Looking Forward To A Happy Christmas For All Our Regulars, Old and New, From Around The World

Some of The Best Ideas For Christmas Have Come From The Lanes Armoury. Our 103rd Christmas, and Still Counting. The world famous New York Times included our gallery in their list as one of the very best places to visit in the UK when travelling to Europe from America.

Unique, ancient, antique and vintage beautiful items are our speciality, and be sure and certain that anything from us will be the best choice you can make this Christmas time. Unique conversation pieces, such as, for example, how about a 10 inch mortar explosive cannon ball that was aboard the Royal Naval bomb ships of Admiral Cochrane, for the bombardment of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812 in America, and the actual event that created “The Star Spangled Banner”. Or, maybe an original French Howitzer cannon ball, actually fired at Waterloo.
We have had arrive here recently some wonderful, original pieces of history, many from the Waterloo battle site. Act fast though, some have been sold within minutes of them being added to our site for sale. Like the six artefacts we added from the collection last week, all six of them sold within a couple of hours.

Every item will be accompanied with our unique, presentation quality, 'Certificate of Authenticity' that will not only fully certify it's genuineness, but it will detail the circumstance of it's origin, and where and when it may have been used in it's specific or generic history. Where else in Britain could you walk out of the store with an original souvenir from Alexander the Greats battle with the Persians in 334 B.C, for only £60, to a fabulous unique handmade piece once owned by movie legend, Elizabeth Taylor

And please be further assured, all gift purchases may be changed after Christmas for any form of suitable alternatives.

"Doesn't someone you know deserve something unique from The Lanes Armoury"

The Lanes Armoury described by the 'New York Times' as one of the very best stores and destinations to visit when in Europe.
A living, breathing gallery that is a huge walk around ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, containing thousands of original historical and magical pieces from the ancient long past, to the near recent. In fact, from 300,000 years of human history, and 100 million years of world history.

We are certainly not the biggest premier store in Europe recommended by the New York Times, in fact we are probably the smallest, but what we lack in size, apparently, we more than make up for in amazement, and wonder, and, we have been doing so for over 103 years

For example, we added recently items that range from an A Samurai Ancestral Sword Around 700 years old or more, a WW2 Japanese Officer's Sword With An Ancestral Blade 450 Years Old, an incredibly rare original Knight Templar sword around 1000 years old , a Longbow man’s arrowhead from The Battle of Agincourt battle site, a beautiful 25 million year old Megalodon Tooth, an Ancient Roman Gladiators ring 1700 years old, to relics from the Battlesite of Waterloo, and a Knights Dagger around 900 years old

Merry Christmas
Feliz Navidad
聖誕快樂
Joyeux Noël
عيد ميلاد مجيد
Frohe Weihnachten
Buon Natale
Prettige Kerstdagen
Feliz Natal
メリー クリスマス  read more

Code: 24542

A Most Attractive, 20th Century, Silver Omani Jambiya Knife. a Symbol of Status in UAE Society

An Omani Sa'idiyyah khanjar, a Khanjar with the distinctive ‘7 Rings’ to denote its owner is gifted to a person of high status, comprising of an all silver fronted scabbard and hilt. Decorated in intricate silver filigree wirework with a pattern similar to the 'tree of life'.
Also known as the Jambiya, daggers of this quality were almost always usually custom made for presentation. Lawrence of Arabia had several very similar ones presented to him, they were his favourite dagger, and he was frequently photographed wearing them. One picture is a portrait of Lawrence with his silver Jambiya, near identical to this one. Information only not included Silver, usually more often than not, coin silver, not English hallmarked silver. The jambia, a curved Islamic dagger, is the main customary accessory to the clothing worn by Arabian men. For centuries the people of South Arabia have inherited the their jambiahs from generation to generation. There are several theories about the origin of the Jambia. There are historical facts, concerning the existence of the Jambia revealing that it used to be worn at Sheban times, in the Himiarite kingdom. They take the statue of the Sheban king (Madi Karb 500 bc ) as proof. This statue, which was discovered by an American mission in Marib in the 1950s, was found to be wearing a Jambia.
Since The most expensive and famous jambiya was purchased by Sheikh Naji Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Sha'if, who was able to pay US $1 million for one prized and ancient piece. This jambiah had a historical importance, belonging to Imam Ahmed Hamid Al-Din, who ruled Yemen from 1948 to 1962. The Imam's most precious possession was transferred to Sheikh Hussein Al-Watari, who in turn sold it to Sheikh Al-Sha'if.
According to Sheikh Muhammad Naji, the son of current owner of the most precious jambiah, his father's prize is the most expensive and famous one in the country. Its cost was made so high because it is one of the best jambiahs ever made by Al-Saifani, and a piece of history, as well.

Just returned from our conservation workshop.  read more

Code: 25066

A Superb Piece of WW1 Trench Art. A One Pounder German Shell. Royal Artillery Regimental Badged

A stunning 'Trench Art' German shell made by a soldier of the Royal Artillery Corps, by adding his cap badge to the shell case. Beautifully stamped on the base with German maker codes and markings dated 1915. With a Vickers Son and Maxim high explosive shell head, with impact fuze, stamped VSM

A superb fuzed shell head fully stamped and marked. Used by a 37mm calibre, water-cooled, belt-fed Maxim-Nordenfeldt heavy machine gun(among others, with variants produced as Vickers-Maxim and Hotchkiss-Maxim). It was the smallest item of artillery used during that war and boasted a firing rate of 60 rounds per minute, utilising a belt of 25 one-pound shells, each shell covering a distance ranging up to 3,000 yards. In World War I, it was used as an early anti-aircraft gun in the home defence of Britain. It was adapted as the Mk I*** and Mk II on high-angle pedestal mountings and deployed along London docks and on rooftops on key buildings in London, others on mobile motor lorries at key towns in the East and Southeast of England. 25 were employed in August 1914, and 50 in February 1916. A Mk II gun (now in the Imperial War Museum, London) on a Naval pedestal mounting was the first to open fire in defence of London during the war. However, the small shell was insufficient to damage the German Zeppelin airships sufficiently to bring them down. The Ministry of Munitions noted in 1922: "The pom-poms were of very little value. There was no shrapnel available for them, and the shell provided for them would not burst on aeroplane fabric but fell back to earth as solid projectiles ? were of no use except at a much lower elevation than a Zeppelin attacking London was likely to keep"

Nevertheless, Lieutenant O.F.J. Hogg of No. 2 AA Section in III Corps was the first anti-aircraft gunner to shoot down an aircraft, with 75 rounds on 23 September 1914 in France.

The gun was experimentally mounted on aircraft as the lighter 1-pounder Mk III, the cancelled Vickers E.F.B.7 having been specifically designed to carry it in its nose.
Hiram Maxim originally designed the Pom-Pom in the late 1880s as an enlarged version of the Maxim machine gun. Its longer range necessitated exploding projectiles to judge range, which in turn dictated a shell weight of at least 400 grams (0.88 lb), as that was the lightest exploding shell allowed under the St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868 and reaffirmed in the Hague Convention of 1899.
Dated 1915.
Not suitable for export, empty inert and safe  read more

Code: 25064

A Superb Piece of WW1 Trench Art. A One Pounder British Shell. REME Regimentally Badged

A stunning 'Trench Art' German shell made by a soldier of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers corps, by adding his cap badge to the shell case. Beautifully stamped on the base with maker codes EOC for the Elswick Ordnance Company. With a Vickers Son and Maxim high explosive shell head, with impact fuze, stamped VSM
Used with the water-cooled, belt-fed Maxim-Nordenfeldt machine gun(among others, with variants produced as Vickers-Maxim and Hotchkiss-Maxim) was the smallest item of artillery used during that war and boasted a firing rate of 60 rounds per minute, utilising a belt of 25 one-pound shells, each shell covering a distance ranging up to 3,000 yards. In World War I, it was used as an early anti-aircraft gun in the home defence of Britain. It was adapted as the Mk I*** and Mk II on high-angle pedestal mountings and deployed along London docks and on rooftops on key buildings in London, others on mobile motor lorries at key towns in the East and Southeast of England. 25 were employed in August 1914, and 50 in February 1916. A Mk II gun (now in the Imperial War Museum, London) on a Naval pedestal mounting was the first to open fire in defence of London during the war. However, the small shell was insufficient to damage the German Zeppelin airships sufficiently to bring them down. The Ministry of Munitions noted in 1922: "The pom-poms were of very little value. There was no shrapnel available for them, and the shell provided for them would not burst on aeroplane fabric but fell back to earth as solid projectiles ? were of no use except at a much lower elevation than a Zeppelin attacking London was likely to keep"

Nevertheless, Lieutenant O.F.J. Hogg of No. 2 AA Section in III Corps was the first anti-aircraft gunner to shoot down an aircraft, with 75 rounds on 23 September 1914 in France.

The gun was experimentally mounted on aircraft as the lighter 1-pounder Mk III, the cancelled Vickers E.F.B.7 having been specifically designed to carry it in its nose.
Hiram Maxim originally designed the Pom-Pom in the late 1880s as an enlarged version of the Maxim machine gun. Its longer range necessitated exploding projectiles to judge range, which in turn dictated a shell weight of at least 400 grams (0.88 lb), as that was the lightest exploding shell allowed under the St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868 and reaffirmed in the Hague Convention of 1899. Dated 1905. Not suitable for export, empty inert and safe  read more

Code: 25065

A Most Fine US Civil War Period 9mm Revolver, Deluxe Engraved Throughout & Hand Carved Grips

The pinfire revolver was around the fourth most popular revolver used the Civil War, this deluxe officer's example is a very good example. With much original engraving, bag shaped carved bone grips and exceptionally crisp action, this is a great rarity and an absolutely beautiful example. In large bore 9mm pinfire calibre. A very nice example of a deluxe quality revolver of the Civil War.

A picture shown in the gallery of a Illinois US Cavalry Trooper with his regular military example of the large calibre pinfire revolver used in the Civil War, plain and with no frills. He is Private Silas York of Co. F, 5th Illinois Cavalry Regiment, with regulation US Cavalry issue single shot percussion pistol, his Lefaucheux large bore pinfire repeating revolver, and his US Cavalry issue sword Photo from the Library of Congress.

Pinfire pistols were very popular indeed during the Civil War and the Wild West period but very expensive as they took the all new pinfire cartridge, which revolutionised the way revolvers operated, as compared to the old fashioned percussion action. In fact, while the percussion cap & ball guns were still in production such as made by Remington, Colt and Starr and being used in the American Civil War, the much more efficient and faster pinfire guns that were only made from around 1860 were the fourth most popular gun chosen in the US, by those that could afford them, during the war.

General Stonewall Jackson was presented with two deluxe pinfire pistols with carved grips, and many other famous personalities of the war similarly used them. The American makers could not possibly fulfil all the arms contracts that were needed to supply the war machine, especially by the non industrialised Confederate Southern States. So, London made guns were purchased, by contract, by the London Arms Company in great quantities, as the procurement for the war in America was very profitable indeed. They were dispatched out in the holds of hundreds of British merchant ships. First of all, the gun and sword laden vessels would attempt to break the blockades, surrounding the Confederate ports, as the South were paying four times or more the going rate for arms, but, if the blockade proved to be too efficient, the ships would then proceed on to the Union ports, such as in New York where the price paid was still excellent, but only around double the going rate. This pistol was the type that was so popular, as a fast and efficient revolvers by many of the officers of both the US and the CSA armies, and later, in the 1870's onwards by gamblers and n'ear do wells in the Wild West.

The grips so natural age cracking, but very sound

As with all our antique guns, no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectors items  read more

Code: 24258

A Fabulous & Impressive Large 10th Century Original Viking Spear, Classified as 'Petersen type G'... Vápnum sínum skal-a maðr velli á feti ganga framar, því at óvíst er at vita, nær verðr á vegum úti geirs of þörf guma

From the 13th century Codex Regius, a collection of Old Norse poems from the Viking Age. Verse 38 quoted above is translated here;

Let a man never stir on his road a step
without his weapons of war;
for unsure is the knowing when need shall arise
of a spear on the way without.

Circa 10th century. A fabulous example of an original Viking war spear.
Using the Petersen scale of dating swords axes and spears of the medieval era, it is around 1100 years old, and in super condition for its age. With a slightly impacted tip, possibly bent from penetration of mail armour or shield. With edge shoulders placed low on the blade and a short conical socket with marked narrowing below the blade. Although not as glamorous as the sword, the spear was in every sense the definitive weapon of the Viking Age and used as the primary weapon of combat by almost every warrior. Decorated spearheads inlaid with precious metals prove that in the Viking Age spears were not seen as the poor man's choice and one has only to look at the representations of warriors from the illuminated manuscripts of the era to quickly come to the conclusion that the use of the spear was ubiquitous. Many of the Anglo-Saxon phrases used to describe both battle and warrior help to underline the importance of the spear.

The spearheads were made of iron, and, like sword blades, were made using pattern welding techniques (described in the article on swords) during the early part of the Viking era . They could be decorated with inlays of precious metals or with scribed geometric patterns
After forming the head, the smith created the tang in the early period, such as for a javelin type spear, or in the later Viking mostly a socket fitting for a regular spear. Sometimes with holes for rivets to grip onto the haft.

However, there is little evidence that tells us the length of the shaft. The archaeological evidence is negligible, and the sagas are, for the most part, silent. Chapter 6 of Gísla saga tells of a spear so long-shafted that a man's outstretched arm could touch the rivet. The language used suggests that such a long shaft was uncommon.

Perhaps the best guess we can make is that the combined length of shaft and head of Viking age spears was 2 to 3m (7-10ft) long, although one can make arguments for the use of spears having both longer and shorter shafts. A strong, straight-grained wood such as ash was used. Many people think of the spear as a throwing weapon. One of the Norse myths tells the story of the first battle in the world, in which Odin, the highest of the gods, threw a spear over the heads of the opposing combatants as a prelude to the fight. The sagas say that spears were also thrown in this manner when men, rather than gods, fought. At the battle at Geirvör described in chapter 44 of Eyrbyggja saga, the saga author says that Steinþórr threw a spear over the heads of Snorri goði and his men for good luck, according to the old custom. More commonly, the spear was used as a thrusting weapon. The sagas tell us thrusting was the most common attack in melees and one-on-one fighting, and this capability was used to advantage in mass battles. In a mass battle, men lined up, shoulder to shoulder, with shields overlapping. After all the preliminaries, which included rock throwing, name calling, the trading of insults, and shouting a war cry (æpa heróp), the two lines advanced towards each other. When the lines met, the battle was begun. Behind the wall of shields, each line was well protected. Once a line was broken, and one side could pass through the line of the other side, the battle broke down into armed melees between small groups of men.

Before either line broke, while the two lines were going at each other hammer and tongs, the spear offered some real advantages. A fighter in the second rank could use his spear to reach over the heads of his comrades in the first rank and attack the opposing line. Konungs skuggsjá (King’s Mirror), a 13th century Norwegian manual for men of the king, says that in the battle line, a spear is more effective than two swords

Part of an original medieval collection we have acquired, of Viking and early British relics of warfare from ancient battle sites recovered up to 220 years ago. 14 inches long.

Almost every iron weapon that has survived today from this era is now in a fully russetted condition, as is this one, because only a very few of the swords of kings, that have been preserved in national or Royal collections can today be still in a relatively good state and surface condition. However, Bronze Age swords, daggers etc. that are usually much earlier, survive far better as they only suffer from surface ageing and patination, unlike iron and steel weaponry, which makes early iron weapons so incredibly rare, especially the Viking examples, as so many were abandoned, lost in battle or sacrificed due to precious few Viking burials discovered.

As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity, and an attractive complimentary display stand.  read more

Code: 22758

An Amazing and Very Fine Original Moghul Empire Katar, As With Most Of The Finest Surviving Katar It Has a 17th Century European Blade. Made and Used From the Time Of Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan

Indian katar from the era of Shah Jahan, builder of The Taj Mahal, the most famous monument to a beloved wife in the world. This wonderful Katar push dagger is mounted with a likely German sword blade from the early 1600s. It was very popular in the Moghul era to import German blades and mount them with Indian hilts. The blade is attached to the hilt with traditional multi rivetting, and the chisseled hilt is overlaid in areas of sheet silver or gold, as would be suitable for a prince. It appears gold in colour but it may be aged silver. Painting circa 1650 of Moghul Shah Shuja who was the second son of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Empress Mumtaz Mahal, wearing his similar Katar. He was the governor of Bengal and Odissa and had his capital at Dhaka, presently Bangladesh.

Shah Jahan is best remembered for his architectural achievements. His reign ushered in the golden age of Mughal architecture. Shah Jahan commissioned many monuments, the best known of which is the Taj Mahal in Agra, in which is entombed his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. His relationship with Mumtaz Mahal has been heavily adapted into Indian art, literature and cinema. He owned the royal treasury, and several precious stones such as the Kohinoor and has thus often been regarded as the wealthiest person in history.

The death of his father Jahangir in late 1627 spurred a war of succession between his sons Shahryar and Khurram from which Shah Jahan emerged victoriously. He executed all of his rivals for the throne and crowned himself emperor on January 1628 in Agra, under the regnal title "Shah Jahan" (which was originally given to him as a princely title). His rule saw many grand building projects, including the Red Fort and the Shah Jahan Mosque. Foreign affairs saw war with the Safavids, aggressive campaigns against the Shia Deccan Sultanates,10 conflict with the Portuguese, and positive relations with the Ottoman Empire. Domestic concerns included putting down numerous rebellions, and the devastating famine from 1630-32.

In September 1657, Shah Jahan fell seriously ill. This set off a war of succession among his four sons in which his third son, Aurangzeb, emerged victorious and usurped his father's throne. Shah Jahan recovered from his illness, but Emperor Aurangzeb put his father under house arrest in Agra Fort from July 1658 until his death in January 1666. He was laid to rest next to his wife in the Taj Mahal. His reign is known for doing away with the liberal policies initiated by Akbar. Shah Jahan was an Orthodox Muslim, and it was during his time that Islamic revivalist movements like the Naqsbandi began to shape Mughal policies  read more

Code: 21565

A Very Rare & Simply Stunning, Original Ancient Classical Early Iron & Bronze Age Dagger, Circa Three Thousand Two Hundred Years Old, From The Time of The Trojan Wars & The Siege of Troy. As Detailed In Homer's Iliad

This is one of the earliest ancient classical iron and bronze daggers we have ever seen, and only Tutankhamun's iron and gold dagger is known to exist that is that much older than this finest example. A near identical dagger is decorated upon an archaic attic ware amphora, circa 550 bc, a scene of ancient, warring mythical figures, that resides in a famed Paris museum.

We show in the gallery a piece of decorated ancient Greek attic ware, with a scene of Hercules and Geryon, and the warrior, on the right of three winged warriors in the photo, bears a so similar dagger, as could be deemed identical, swinging from his waist. It is on display at the Cabinet des Médailles, in Paris, catalogued as an Attic Black Figure Shape Amphora. ca. 550 - 540 B.C. from the Archaic period

This dagger is in very good excavated condition, found around 250 years ago, so its blade's condition is very aged, yet it is in fantastic condition bearing it mind it is around 3200 years old.

One cannot over emphasise the rarity of such as this wonderful piece, and to find a Bronze Age and earliest Iron Age combination metals dagger, it a rare treasure indeed. From the ancient pre-history era, made in the time of the Siege of Troy, the ancient Phoenicians, and the earliest period of ancient Greek and Minoan pre-history.

It is incredible to comprehend that this fine piece would have been a revered weapon when it was likely used around the time of the Siege of Troy, and during the earliest Greek-Persian Wars. It would have already been 700 years old and a piece of great antiquity, at the time when Alexander The Great was embarking on his extraordinary campaign to conquer the Persian Empire in 335 BC.
He eventually conquered half the known world and was to become the greatest ruler in history. This exceptionally beautiful and rare artefact, around 3000 years old, and it superbly demonstrates the skill of the artisans from the bronze age and iron age combined.
With a flanged eared pommel in iron, a bronze hilt and grip, and a double ribbed double edged blade in iron/steel. In 3000 BC plus, iron was a tremendously scarce and precious metal, scarcely know around most of the world.
The earliest known iron artefacts, apart from Tutankhamun's Dagger, are nine small beads, dated to 3200 BC, from burials in Gerzeh, northern Egypt, and they were also made from meteoric iron, and shaped by careful hammering. King Tut continues to astound the archaeological community, as new research shows that the ancient Egyptian child pharaoh was buried with a dagger that part originated from the heavens.

The iron bladed dagger placed in his sarcophagus, next to the right thigh of his mummified body, was manufactured from a meteorite, according to researchers from Milan Polytechnic, Pisa University and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The team carried out an analysis using non-invasive, portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and published their results in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science.

Archaeologist Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 sparked worldwide fascination with the 14th Century BC pharaoh. Three years later, two blades one iron and one gold were found in the wrapping of the 18th Dynasty mummy. Iron's qualities, in contrast to those of bronze, were not understood. Between 1200 BC and 1000 BC, diffusion in the understanding of iron metallurgy and use of iron objects was fast and far-flung. In the history of ferrous metallurgy, iron smelting, the extraction of usable metal from oxidized iron ores, is more difficult than tin and copper smelting. These other metals and their alloys can be cold-worked, or melted in simple pottery kilns and cast in moulds; but smelted iron requires hot-working and can be melted only in specially designed furnaces. It is therefore not surprising that humans only mastered iron smelting after several millennia of bronze metallurgy. We show in the gallery Tutankhamun's iron bladed dagger and Carter's photograph of its discovery in his tomb. 11.5 inches overall, approx. 16 ozs  read more

Code: 22582