The khopesh is the blade the ancient world knew as the sword of Egypt: a sickle-curved profile carried by pharaohs, painted onto temple walls, and buried in royal tombs across the Bronze Age. This hand-forged khopesh measures 24 inches overall, pairing the classic sickle-curved blade in 1095 high-carbon steel with a full-tang hilt. The blade is forged, heat treated, and hand sharpened by master smiths for genuine battle-ready construction. All Battling Blades orders ship from our own warehouse in Illinois, and custom engraving is completed in-house before your khopesh leaves our facility.
Specifications
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Overall length: 24 inches
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Blade profile: Sickle-curved with straight forte, edge on the outer curve
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Blade steel: 1095 high-carbon, polished finish
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Construction: Full tang, battle-ready
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Engraving: Optional, completed in-house at our Illinois workshop
The 1095 High-Carbon Steel Blade
The blade on this khopesh is forged from 1095 high-carbon steel, the classic workhorse of traditional blademaking. With roughly 0.95 percent carbon content, 1095 takes an exceptionally keen edge, holds it well, and responds beautifully to heat treatment, which is why smiths have trusted it for generations of functional blades.
Forging the khopesh's profile is no small feat: the blade runs straight from the grip, then sweeps into its sickle curve with the hand-sharpened edge on the outer, convex side. Our smiths forge that geometry in 1095, heat treat it for the right balance of hardness and resilience, and bring the finish to a clean polish that suits the blade's clean, sculptural lines. The originals were cast in bronze; ours is a modern forged-steel interpretation of the same iconic form, and each blade passes our four quality control checkpoints before it ships.
History of the Khopesh
The khopesh's story begins over four thousand years ago among the sickle-swords of Mesopotamia, and by Egypt's Middle Kingdom the form had become unmistakably Egyptian. Its name derives from the Egyptian word for an animal's foreleg, the shape the sweeping blade suggested, and Egyptian writing used that same word when speaking of strength and the power of the king's arm.
Across a thousand years of temple walls, from Karnak to Abu Simbel, the khopesh appears in the hands of pharaohs, and the gods themselves are shown extending it to kings as the emblem of the right to rule. Its bond with royalty ran all the way to the grave: when Tutankhamun's tomb was opened in 1922, two khopesh swords were found among the burial treasures, one sized for the man and one for the boy he had been. Egyptians even placed deliberately unsharpened examples in tombs as purely ceremonial objects, evidence that the khopesh's meaning as a symbol of power stood equal to its service in war.
The blade's active career peaked in the New Kingdom, the era of Ramesses II, before iron straight swords displaced it around 1100 BC. Yet no retired blade has ever stayed so visible: the khopesh silhouette remains the instant visual signature of ancient Egypt, recognized on sight in museums, films, and collections more than three millennia later.
Anatomy of a Khopesh
The khopesh's form is unlike any other sword, built from three distinct zones:
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Hilt: The compact grip, cast in one piece with the blade on bronze originals, full-tang on our forged-steel version.
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Forte: The straight section extending from the grip, which gives the blade its reach and stiffness.
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Curve: The sweeping sickle section that defines the type, with the sharpened edge on the outer, convex side, the opposite of a farming sickle, whose edge lies on the inside of the curve.
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Hook tip: The blunt terminal of the curve, often finished with a small point or knob on historical examples.
Craftsmanship and Quality
Every Battling Blades khopesh is hand forged by master smiths through our direct workshop relationships, not mass produced. The 1095 blade is forged, heat treated, and sharpened by hand, then finished with a full tang through the grip. This is battle-ready construction: a genuine forged blade built to the same standard as our swords, not a decorative casting. Custom engraving and etching are completed at our own facility in Illinois, so personalized orders never leave our quality control chain before shipping, and hieroglyphic-style engraving requests are welcome.
The Signature of Ancient Egypt
At 24 inches, the khopesh is one of the most visually striking pieces in our catalog and one of the rarest to find in genuine forged quality; nearly everything else on the market is a decorative casting. It anchors an ancient-world display alongside a gladius, xiphos, or kopis, gives an Egyptology collection its centerpiece, and makes an unforgettable gift for anyone drawn to ancient Egypt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a khopesh?
A khopesh is the sickle-curved sword of Bronze Age Egypt, defined by a straight section near the grip sweeping into a curved blade with the edge on the outer side. It served as both a weapon of the New Kingdom armies and, above all, as the emblem of royal power, carried by pharaohs in art for more than a thousand years.
What does the name khopesh mean?
The name comes from the Egyptian word for the foreleg of an animal, which the blade's curve was thought to resemble. The same word appears in Egyptian texts as a symbol of strength and the might of the king's arm.
Is this khopesh battle-ready?
Yes. This khopesh features a hand-forged 1095 high-carbon blade with a full tang and is built to the same quality standard as our swords, with heat treatment and hand sharpening at every step. It is a genuine forged blade, not a decorative casting, which sets it apart from nearly every khopesh on the market.
What is 1095 steel?
1095 is a high-carbon steel containing roughly 0.95 percent carbon. It is one of the most trusted steels in traditional blademaking because it takes a very sharp edge, holds that edge well, and responds beautifully to heat treatment. It is the classic choice for functional forged blades.
What's the difference between the 1095 and Damascus khopesh?
Both are hand forged with the same full-tang, battle-ready construction and 24-inch sickle-curved profile. This 1095 version carries a clean polished blade in classic high-carbon steel, while the Damascus version is folded to 352 layers for a flowing, one-of-a-kind pattern. The choice is aesthetic: traditional polish or patterned steel.
Were khopesh swords really made of bronze?
Yes. Historical khopesh blades were cast in bronze, since their era predates ironworking in Egypt. Ours is a modern interpretation forged in high-carbon steel, keeping the iconic Bronze Age form while building it to the standard of a functional modern blade.
Which edge of a khopesh is sharpened?
The outer, convex edge of the curve, the opposite of a farming sickle. On our version that outer edge is hand sharpened, following the historical convention.
Who carried the khopesh historically?
It appears in the hands of pharaohs and gods across Egyptian temple art as the emblem of royal authority, and it equipped the armies of the New Kingdom at their height. Two khopesh swords were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, one full-sized and one child-sized, buried with the king in the 14th century BC.
How long is this khopesh?
This khopesh measures 24 inches overall, matching the typical size of historical examples, which generally ranged from about 20 to 24 inches.
What's the difference between a khopesh and a kopis?
Despite the similar names, they're unrelated. The khopesh is the sickle-curved bronze-era sword of Egypt with its edge on the outer curve, while the kopis is a later Greek sword with a forward-curving blade edged on the inner curve. The two make a striking ancient-world pairing on display, and we forge both.
How do I care for a 1095 steel blade?
Keep the blade lightly oiled and store it in a dry environment. 1095 is a high-carbon steel and not stainless, so a thin coat of mineral oil after handling prevents rust and keeps the polished finish bright.
How quickly does it ship?
All Battling Blades orders ship from our own warehouse in Illinois, and most khopesh are in stock and ship promptly. If you add custom engraving, we complete it in-house, which adds minimal time to your order.
