Posts: 802 Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys.
Tue 08 Apr, 2014 1:58 am
Doesn't look like anything Roman to me and I'd be going for an eastern origin. But how East and when is very tricky.
All the above answers are sound. It might be a real historical object but without provenance its a bit of shaped metal. With some money thrown at it for metallurgical research you might get some answers, until then its a curio you bought in an 'antique' store. I say it in parenthesis as a reputable dealer should have been able to give you more answers when selling you something. Its in their best interest to do so as a provenance will up the value. So there might well be a reason why they haven't.
If you bought it because it looks nice, well like others here, yes its a nice object. If you bought it as a representation of a specific culture/artefact etc well its saying nothing to me and if you brought it to turn a profit it might creep up in time but again, without provenance or detailed research it will only be worth your initial price or what someone is willing to part with it.
Sadly the trade in looted or displaced artefacts is huge and disappointing and its fuelling the huge market in forgeries too.
[url]
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ancient-Bronze-Dagger...6148[/url]
cant say if its real or not for sure, but doesn't look like it to me. The sellers info leads me to thinking I'll spend my money elsewhere. For that kind of dough I can spend an afternoon having a go at making one myself which would be far more pleasing to me, others will differ.