RESEARCH BACKGROUND AND ANCIENT ERA

This book is the result of years of research in the field of Iranian arms and armor, illustrating for the first time a selected array of Iranian arms and armor from ten Iranian museums: the Military Museum Tehran, the Military Museum Shiraz, the Military Museum Bandar Anzali, the National Museum of Iran in Tehran, the Museum Reza Abbasi in Tehran, the Niavaran Palace in Tehran, the Melat Museum in Tehran, the Sabz Museum in Tehran, the Pars Museum in Shiraz, and the Naderi Museum in Mashad. One of the important features of these artifacts is that many bronze items come from controlled excavations, yet some are items confiscated from smugglers on illegal excavations. In addition, much of the swords, arms and armor have been handed down from one generation to the next and thus are in excellent condition. The book also contains some selected items from private collections in Europe and the USA. Each artifact is meticulously studied and cross referenced with other existing pieces. The basic tenet of the research is to examine the weapons within their cultural settings. The reader is introduced to the topic with a general overview of Iranian history with particular emphasis on Iranian military history. The research has been extensive with over 500 sources consulted. The sources are not only based on international publications on the development of arms and armor in Iran but also the research of Iranian scholars in the field of military history and arms and armor. Many secondary Iranian sources on art, history, and military history are also included as well as the primary period sources. Included is an overview of the development of copper and bronze weapons from northern, western, and southwestern parts of Iran, featuring pieces from Marlik, Amarlu, and Meshkinshahr. In addition to the pictures, many line drawings accompany the text, giving a comprehensive overview of the development of bronze weapons in Iran. After the intrusion of Aryan tribes into Iran, new types of weapons were introduced into the country. The book presents a number of archeological examples of weapons used by the Achaemenians, Parthians, and Sassanians. The archeological examples are compared to swords depicted on corresponding rock reliefs.