Sword in a Sheath with a Gold Facing
Poltava Region, Ukraine
7th century
Gold, iron, glass
L in sheath 94.2 cm
Pereshchepina Treasure
This single-edged blade and double-edged
point sword is part of a set of arms and
armour which once belonged to a noble
warrior. The sword was probably made in a
workshop which specialized in objects for
the nomadic nobility: this is suggested by
Greek letters scratched on the back of the
handle. The close relations between
Byzantium and the Eurasian nomads in the
7th-century allow us to regard this object
as a piece of a gift or contribution. Crosses
on the sword's facing indicate that it may
have belonged to Khan Kubrat and thus
the Pereshchepina Treasure was probably
from the burial of this major historical
figure. The sword may have been one of
the gold objects which formed part of a
presumed diplomat gift (634-640) from
Heraclius to the chieftain of the
Hunogunduri, the Christian Khan Kubrat.
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