Modern interest in ancient Iranian metalwork has a long history. It intensified following the discovery of impressive bronzes in the region of Luristan during the 1920s, and continues up to this day. Northwestern Iran in particular is famous for its metalwork, with fine examples unearthed during excavations in Hasanlu, an important Iron Age site in the province of West Azerbaijan, as well as at Marlik in Gilan province. Here it is important to note that while the term ‘Iron Age’ usually denotes a period when iron was the predominant metal for tools and weapons, that is not the case in Northwestern Iran. Instead, it is the appearance of a very distinct pottery tradition in the region that prompted scholars to designate the beginning of a new era during the 13th century BC. While iron was indeed used in small quantities from the 13th to 11th centuries BC, it did not fully take hold in the region until the 9th century BC. For this reason, all of the objects discussed here, whether bronze or bimetallic, belong to the era referred to as the Iron Age (1250-550 BC).
Iranian metalwork from that era is known for its decorative nature and high quality, often achieved through lost-wax casting. The attractiveness of the finds combined with the interest they created sparked a surge in illicit excavations to meet the demand among collectors and museums eager to expand their collections. Indeed, the continuing popularity of these items on the antiquities market is ably demonstrated by an online search for ‘Luristan sword’. The first results were websites with swords for sale, rather than online museum collection catalogues from institutions like the Penn Museum or the Met.
Once the interest in this metalwork was established, another attempt to satisfy demand followed in the form of forgeries and pastiche-making. It appears that these practices have never stopped. Pastiches are objects created from fragments of various different – often ancient – artefacts that have been combined in modern times to create an object that is more interesting, more beautiful, or more profitable. At another level, the illegal trade in such metalwork has had an important impact on how it is understood today. A significant number of objects in Iranian museums, for example, were not recovered during controlled excavations. Instead, they were confiscated from looters who got to them before the archaeologists. Because of the scattered nature of these collections, large assemblages of objects are rarely analysed together. For this reason, there has never been a comprehensive study of Iron Age Iranian weapon technology.
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