Product description
The khopesh was a curved sickle-shaped Egyptian sword from the Bronze Age that originated from crescent-shaped Mesopomatic battle axes. The khopesh was already used around 2500 BC, around that time the first image of the khopesh can be seen on the Vulture Stele, which depicts the Sumerian king Eannatum of Lagash. Around the 16th century BC the khopesh was the most popular weapon in Ancient Egypt. The blade of a khopesh was on average 50-60 cm long. The khopesh was versatile in use, the curvature of the blade was used to block the enemy's arm or his shield shield and it was a very effective weapon in close combat. The khopesh was initially made of bronze, but from the sixteenth century BC. it was made of iron. The sword probably also had a religious function, because Egyptian pharaohs are depicted with a khopesh on murals in tombs (for example, the tomb of Tutankhamun from the fourteenth century BC). The sword fell out of use around 1300-1200 BC, but is still mentioned on the Rosetta stone.
This khopesh has a blade of EN45 spring steel with a black finish and a brass snake coils over the entire length of the blade. The hilt has brass decorations with a lacquered wooden grip. The brass fitting just below the hilt shows two snakes whose heads rest on the beginning of the hilt, with water between them. The rest of the hilt has geometric motifs, and on top of the hilt is a Uraeus, a raised cobra. For the Egyptians this was a symbol of royal and divine authority, and was also associated with life after death. This khopesh, with its beautiful decorations and references to the Egyptian art, is a great piece for collectors.
