13th-14th century AD. An unual single-edged iron sabre with curved blade, the blade with a wide additional band beneath the quillon and a tongue running along the blade, a gold inlaid inscription which is possibly of eastern Greek-Latin, or of late Byzantine origin, and mixed with local dialect of the area where it was originally made, probably bearing the owner's name; the gilt guard with distinctly downturned finials, decorated with foliage ornament within a rhomboid pattern to one side, the medium tang with two fastening rivets for organic hilt. Cf. Nicolle, D., Arms and Armour of the Crading Era, 1050-1350 AD, volume II, London, 1999; cf. Gorelik, M., Mongol-Tatar Armies, X-XIV cent., Moscow, 2002 (in Rsian); cf. Bashir, M., The Arts of the Mlim Knight, The Furiyya Art Foundation Collection, Milano, 2008, sword no.35; cf. Lebedinsky, I., De l’epee scythe au sabre mongol, Paris, 2008, pp.191-193. 625 grams, 96cm (38"). Private collection of Mr M.B., Mainz, Germany, 1990s. Property of a London binessman. Apanied by an archaeological report by military specialist Dr. Raffaele D’Amato. Apanied by a positive metal test number HM1466 from an Oxford specialist. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is apanied by AIAD certificate number no.11080-182086. This blade is similar to the sabre of the Kurgan 20 from Kabardinka (territory of Krasnodar"). However, the asymmetrical curvature of the guard could also suggest an origin in the Pre-Mongol era, when - around the 12th century - a new type of sabre was introduced. However, the asymmetrical guard is moremon in the period of the Golden Horde, as evidenced by the types of sabres (very similar to our artefact) from the aforementioned Kurgan 20 of Kabardinka and from tomb 35 of Tsemdolina (Rsia, Krasnodar, see Lebedinsky, 2006, p.193"). Two Mongol swords (13th -14th century AD) published by Gorelik (2002, pls.10-11) from the territories of the Ukraine and Kuban, also exhibit key similarities. If the inscription on the sabre is interpreted as contemporary to the blade, the weapon could also belong to a member of the military elite unit of the Islamic Caucas or Western Iran, fighting for and against the Mongols during the 13th-15th century of Golden Horde domination. Two fragmentary swords preserved in the Hermitage (Nicolle, 1999, p.232, nos.580-581) could also support this hypothesis.