#iberian

I just want to take the funny looking foal home. He's like the opposite of those overbred seahorse arabs.

This antique Portuguese jewel looks like golden lace made solid and sparkles with the most bewitching old cut diamonds.

Do elaborate older treasures like this have your heart, or do you prefer the more streamlined designs of more recent eras?

Ancient Iberian Fox and Prey

Celtes, Germains, Grecs, Slaves, Scandinaves, Latins, Ibères, ou plus précisément nous, leurs descendants, devons désormais nous considérer comme un seul peuple, héritiers d'une même terre, une immense patrie.

Title: Sword (Falcata)

Date: 5th–1st century BCE

Culture: Iberian

Medium: Iron alloy

Dimensions: H. 20 15/16 in. (53.2 cm); H. of blade 17 in. (43.2 cm); W. 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm); D. 13/16 in. (2.1 cm); Wt. 1 lb. 0.7 oz. (473.4 g)

The falcata was a popular type of sword in the Iberian Peninsula from the fifth to the first century B.C. Closely related in form to slashing weapons found in Greece, it is distinguished by the fact that its blade is double-edged for about half of its length, whereas Greek specimens normally have a single cutting edge.

Although its old patina was removed and an inaccurate modern wood grip was added sometime before it was acquired, The Metropolitan Museum's falcata occupies an important place among the examples known to survive because of the otherwise fine state of preservation of its blade, which is structurally intact and only superficially corroded.