Coptic Sarcophagus

When viewing this Coptic looking sarcophagus I couldn't help but giggle thinking of how much it looks like he had an accident.

Carved Heiroglyphics

Japanese Armour

Tanto

Dagger (Tanto) and a dagger mounting.
The tanto is a short sword or dagger. This one was made by a medieval sword smith called Kunimitsu, working in the 1300s and must have been a treasured heirloom. The mounting includes a scabbard, hilt and guard, as well as a small knife that fits into the handle.
Samurai women learned how to use daggers. In extreme situations they were expected to fight, or stab themselves rather than be captured by the enemy.

Japanese Wakizashi

Blade for a wakizashi (companion sword) and a wakizashi mounting.
A companion sword was worn at all times, indoors and out, by men of the samurai class. This example has been taken apart so that you can appreciate the many pieces that make up the mounting.
They are:
Tsuba - Sword Guard
Hilt
Scabbard
Seppa (spacers)
Kokatana (utility knife)
Kogai (a pointed metal tool that splits to form chopsticks)
Habaki (a collar to ensure a tight fit of the sword into it's scabbard)
The mountings were made by master craftsmen of the Mino school using a unique Japanese metal called shakudo - an alloy of copper with a small amount of gold and traces of 'mountain metal' (raw copper). This was then inlaid with designs of flowers in gold.
Along the cutting edge of the blade you can see a 'wave pattern', or hamon, in the grain of the steel. Along the back edge of the blade a stylized double-edged sword has been engraved, which is a Tantric Buddhist symbol.

Japanese Screen

Buddha