acinaces
Sign in to saveAlso known as Persian sword, Iranian sword, akinakes
The acinaces, also transliterated as akinakes (Greek ) or akinaka (unattested Old Persian *akīnakah, Sogdian kynʼk) is a type of dagger or xiphos (short sword) used mainly in the first millennium BCE in the eastern Mediterranean Basin, especially by the Medes, Scythians, Persians and Caspians, then by the Greeks.
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- short sword
- Country of origin
- Iran
- Image
- Scythian sword with golden scabbard from Velyka Bilozerka, 4th century BC, 01.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
- Commons category
- Acinaces
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~3 min read
Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Identification
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- External links
The acinaces, also transliterated as akinakes (Greek ) or akinaka (unattested Old Persian *akīnakah, Sogdian kynʼk) is a type of dagger or xiphos (short sword) used mainly in the first millennium BCE in the eastern Mediterranean Basin, especially by the Medes, Scythians, Persians and Caspians, then by the Greeks.
The acinaces, of Scythian origin, but made famous by the Persians, rapidly spread throughout the ancient world. The Romans believed that this weapon originated with the Medes.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “acinaces” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.