Arms and Armor from Iran : The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period

by: Khorasani, Manouchehr Moshtagh

This book is the result of more than a decade of intensive research in the field of Iranian arms and armor, illustrating for the first time selected arrays from 10 Iranian museums. The topic is introduced with a general overview of Iranian history with particular emphasis on military history. Drawing from more than 500 sources, this study also includes an overview of the development of historical copper, bronze, iron, and steel weapons such as swords, bows, maces, axes, shields, armor, and more. In-depth information regarding the classification of the various artifacts is also presented, and different signatures on swords and other weapons are illustrated within the treatise, exploring each item in its cultural setting. A chapter dedicated to the martial arts and warrior training in ancient Iran, traces of which are still evident in the modern culture, is also featured.

The result of over a decade of research, this massive (three inches thick and 9.6 lbs!), first-of-its-kind work encompasses not only the holdings of some 10 different museums but also private European and Iranian collections, to create an extensive, photographic catalogue and ethnographic analysis of Iranian arms and armour.
As colossal as the book itself is the historical scope it covers; analyzing pieces from the 3rd millennium BC to the end of the Qajar Period in the 20th century. The first 371 pages provide the narrative history of Iranian weapons with copious references to the world?s most respected historical authorities, while the he second 373 pages, is a full-color catalog of the weapons themselves, including daggers, swords, spears, axes, shields, armour and mail, meticulously captioned, annotated and enumerated.
A detailed series of maps, line drawings and tables accompany the over 600 black-and-white images, 2,800 color images that bring Dr. Khorasani's opus to life, all printed on high-gloss paper, making Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period both a piece of vital scholarship and a beautiful art book you will turn to time and time again.

Contents:

1. Introduction
2. The Iranian cultural influence in the region and the Iranian search for independence
3. Bronze and iron weapons from Iran
3.1 Casting bronze weapons
3.2 Bronze weapons from western parts of Iran (Luristan and Elam)
3.3 Classification of bronze and iron weapons from Luristan and other regions
of Iran
3.4 Iron swords from Luristan
3.5 Bronze weapons from Hasanlu
3.6 Classification of daggers and swords from Marlik, Amlash, and Talesh
4. Median and Achaemenian daggers and swords
4.1 The Median akenakes (short sword)
4.2 The Persian akenakes
4.3 Achaemenian long sword
4.4 Achaemenian falchions
4.5 Achaemenian knives
5. Parthian swords and daggers
5.1 Evidence from rock reliefs
5.2 Archeological examples
6. Sassanian swords
6.1 Evidence from rock reliefs
6.2 Evidence from Silver plates
6.3 Archeological examples
7. The importance and meaning of the sword in Iran after the Muslim conquest
7.1 Crucible steel (Pulad-e gohardar or fulad-e johardar) and its varieties
7.2 Different types of steel
7.3 Pattern-welded steel blades (layered blades)
7.4 Classification of swords by al Kindi
7.5 Akhi Hizam Muhammad ibn Yaghub al Khuttali on swords
7.6 Beiruni on swords
7.7 Ibn Sina on swords
7.8 Khayyam Neishaburi on swords
7.9 Mobarakshah Fakhr Modabar on swords
7.10 Al Tarussi on swords
7.11 Identification and classification of watered-steel blades (tigheye johardar)
based on publications from modern times
8. Shamshir (sword) and its varieties
8.1 Shamshir attributed to Timur with gold-inlaid cartouches in Kufic inscriptions
from the National Museum of Iran, Tehran
8.2 Shamshir attributed to Timur with gold-inlaid cartouches in Kufic inscriptions
from the Military Museum, Tehran
8.3 Another shamshir attributed to Timur from the Military Museum, Tehran
8.4 Different parts of a classical shamshir
9. The mystery behind dhufaghar “zolfaghar”, the bifurcated sword of Ali
10. Iranian straight swords: the re-emergence or coexistence with curved swords
11. Iranian military swords from the Qajar period (shamshir nezami)
12. Qame and qaddare (double-edged short sword and one-edged short sword)
13. Khanjar (double-edged dagger)
14. Kard (one-edged knife)
15. Pishqabz (double-curved, one-edged dagger)
16. Neyze and zubin (spear and javelin)
16.1 Spearheads from Marlik
16.2 Spearheads from Amlash
16.3 Spearheads from Amarlu
16.4 Spearheads from Luristan
16.5 Achaemenian spearheads
16.6 Parthian and Sassanian spearheads
16.7 Spears after the Muslim conquest
17. Gorz (mace)
17.1 Globular or pear-shaped and truncheon-shaped mace heads
17.2 Knobbed and flanged maces
17.3 Animal or human-headed maces
18. Tabar / Tabarzin (axe and saddleaxe)
19. Separ (shield)
20. Zereh and joshan (armor)
20.1 Joshan and zereh (mail)
20.2 Chahr ayne (four mirrors)
20.3 Sardushi (Shoulder padding)
20.4 Bazuband (arm guard)
20.5 Kolah khud (helmet)
20.6 Gariban (standard)
20.7 Zanuband (knee protector) and sagband (shin protector)
21. Tir va Kaman (bow and arrows)
21.1 Shapes and structure of a Kaman (bow)
21.2 Materials used for making a bow
21.3 Tir (arrow) and paykan (arrowhead)
22. The meaning of the emblem of the lion, the sun, and the lion fighting a bull on pieces of arms and armor
23. The Iranian warrior tradition: Iranian treatises on warfare and martial arts
23.1 Jawanmardi: rules of conduct and behavior for warriors
23.2 Ayyaran during the Sassanian period and in later eras
24. Koshti (wrestling), other martial practices, and their role in preparing the warriors for the battlefield
24.1 Wrestling and varzesh bastani
24.2 Practice tools of varzesh bastani
24.3 Archery training
24.4 Handling the sword
24.5 Throwing the javelin
24.6 Horse riding, polo, and playing at the mall
24.7 Stickfighting
25. Dervishes
26. Naggali (traditional reciting of Shahname)
27. Arms and armor used in taziye (Shiite passion play)
28. Conclusion
29. Catalog

Arms and Armor from Iran : The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period

by: Khorasani, Manouchehr Moshtagh

• ISBN-13: 9783932942228 / 978-3-932942-22-8
• ISBN-03: 3932942221 / 3-932942-22-1
• Legat, , 2006