The picture is too low res to tell for sure, but I believe what you are actually seeing is a rod that comes out of the base, runs behind the sword, and has a cradle at the top to hold the sword just under the guard (the two shiny bits of metal).
Display purposes, probably. I hope they know how to do such things without harming the artifacts, but unfortunately, not all pieces of antiquity are given the care and expertise they deserve, so I couldn’t guarantee anything about this piece, which I believe is part of a private collection.
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The picture is too low res to tell for sure, but I believe what you are actually seeing is a rod that comes out of the base, runs behind the sword, and has a cradle at the top to hold the sword just under the guard (the two shiny bits of metal).
Display purposes, probably. I hope they know how to do such things without harming the artifacts, but unfortunately, not all pieces of antiquity are given the care and expertise they deserve, so I couldn’t guarantee anything about this piece, which I believe is part of a private collection.