Images

Silver rhyton with goat protome and death of Orpheus. 420-410 BCE (Vassil Bojkov Collection) Photographer: Marin Karavelov for the Thrace Foundation www.thracefoundation.org

Silver-gilt bull rhyton from the Borovo treasure. First half of the 4th century BCE. Regional Museum of History - Ruse. Photo: Nikolay Genov in the catalogue of the exhibition Los Tracios. Tesoros enigmáticos de Bulgaria, Barcelona-Valencia-Madrid...

Gold amphora-rhyton from the Panagyurishte treasure. Early 3rd century BCE. Archaeological Museum - Plovdiv. Photo: Oleg Konstantinov.

Silver amphora-rhyton with zoomorphic handles. C. 500 BCE, Vassil Bojkov Collection. Photographer: Marin Karavelov for the Thrace Foundation www.thracefoundation.org

Silver-gilt amphora-rhyton from Kukouva Mogila tumulus, Duvanlii. Early 5th century BCE. National Archaeological Institute with Museum - BAS. Photo: Nikolay Genov in catalogue of the exhibition Los Tracios. Tesoros enigmáticos de Bulgaria...

Miniature axe, decorated with protomes of a bull, griffin, and a deer. The blade is shaped as a stylised goat head. 8th-7th century BCE. Regional Museum of History - Stara Zagora. Photo: Nikolay Genov in catalogue of the exhibition Los...

The handles of a pair of samurai swords (the daisho or 'great and small') with traditional ray skin covers and silk bindings. 19th century CE. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

The blade of a samurai sword, the katana, displaying the distinctive wavy hamon or temper pattern used by Japanese swordsmiths to identify their work. 1501 CE. (Guimet Museum, Paris)

Two steel-bladed Japanese samurai swords: the longer katana and shorter wakizashi. 18-19th century CE. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

A mid-19th century CE woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi of the samurai Onikojima Yatarô Kazutada (1522-1582 CE). (Private Collection)