1200-700 BC, Greek Archaic Period. A This beautiful cast bronze sword with a leaf-shaped, lentoid sectioned blade, a tripartite raised midrib with a shallow double fuller or "blood grooves" and a long tang. Bronze weaponry production flourished in western Asia, the Aegean, and Mainland Greece from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC, when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, spears, and arrows were important symbols of war in Greek Bronze Age societies and served as powerful reminders that authority rested in the hands of those who could earn it. Good condition with a stunning patina, on a custom-made stand; Size: L:580mm / W:43mm ; 425g; Provenance: Property of an established London gallery; acquired from a private estate collection formed before 2000.