ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Split-Ear Pommel Swords ? Bimetallic Weapons from Northwestern Iran

Abstract: In consequence of a recent trafficking operation stopped by the Border Force in the UK a large number of artefacts from Iran became available for study, the majority of which can be dated stylistically to Iron Age I and II (ca. 1250-800 BC). Before their repatriation, PhD research is being conducted at Cranfield University, jointly funded by ISIS. It examines the transition from the use of bronze to the use of iron in Iran, focusing on complex metallurgical techniques. It is proposed that a few bimetallic swords, previously imaged on IMAT and analysed on INES be analysed with ENGIN-X to obtain tomography driven data about iron tangs inside bronze hilts by selecting gauge volumes that exclude the highly attenuating bronze and to establish what different thermal and mechanical treatments distinguish the two types of bronze found in the same sword. This analysis will provide understanding of the knowledge and techniques of ancient Iranian smiths in the Iron Age.

Principal Investigator: Miss Aleksandra Rodzinka
Local Contact: Dr Joe Kelleher
Experimenter: Dr Antonella Scherillo

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2520446

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2520446

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
Select the data format above to find out more about it.

Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Miss Aleksandra Rodzinka et al; (2025): Split-Ear Pommel Swords ? Bimetallic Weapons from Northwestern Iran, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2520446

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.