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Daggers in Parthian Iran

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Archaeology of Iran in the Historical Period

Part of the book series: University of Tehran Science and Humanities Series ((UTSHS))

Abstract

This article focuses on Parthian daggers. A common dagger type among Parthian elite’s arms was the ring-pommel dagger worn in an elaborate scabbard. In the iconography of monuments in the Parthian Empire (including the sites of Shami, Susa, Hatra, Dura Europos and Ashur), daggers in sheaths attached with straps to the thigh are depicted on a number of reliefs. Coin depictions suggest that the Parthians adopted ring-pommel daggers and medallion-scabbards as royal emblems in the first half of the first century B.C. at the latest.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For Parthian weapons, see: Brentjes (1995, 1996, 1997), Olbrycht (2012, 2013, 2015: 360–369).

  2. 2.

    Dates range from the second century B.C. to the second century AD, see: Mathiesen (1992: II, 166–167), Kawami (1987: 63), gives 50 B.C.–A.D. 50.

  3. 3.

    Mathiesen (1992: II, 191–192), cat. no. 160.

  4. 4.

    Details in: Olbrycht (1997).

  5. 5.

    Yusupov (1986, 51), Zuev and Ismagil (1996), Zuev and Ismagilov (1994). Sometimes the double voluted pommel (similar to the antennae type) appeared (Brentjes 1996: 27).

  6. 6.

    Except for one item, see: Yusupov (1986: 51).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Marek Jan Olbrycht

  2. Rzeszow University, Rzeszow, Poland

    Marek Jan Olbrycht

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  1. Marek Jan Olbrycht
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Correspondence to Marek Jan Olbrycht .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Kamal-Aldin Niknami

  2. Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Ali Hozhabri

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Olbrycht, M.J. (2020). Daggers in Parthian Iran. In: Niknami, KA., Hozhabri, A. (eds) Archaeology of Iran in the Historical Period. University of Tehran Science and Humanities Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41776-5_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41776-5_19

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