STUNNING EARLY SCYTHIAN SWORD WITH GOLD HANDLE WITH SPIRALS. Ca. 600 - 400 BC A short sword with a tapering iron blade, both faces with a series of long, parallel channels running from the guard towards the point. The gilt hilt comprises a straight grip decorated with three elongated scrolls between raised borders, and a bilobate guard with spiral and drop motifs. The hilt terminates in a transverse bar pommel ornamented with a central spiral flanked by paired circles. Size: 315mm x 70mm; Weight: 400g. Provenance: Property of a London collector, UK. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter. For similar see: N. Merezhko, I. Vovk, V. Indutnyi, A. Andreiev, Devising criteria for the authenticity of historical cold weapons based on X-ray fluorescence analysis of their surface, f. 1. This piece is accompanied by a historical report from Alessandro Neri, an international Cultural Heritage expert based in Florence, Italy.