Bulbous pommel sword
| Bulbous pommel sword | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Sword, one-handed |
| Designations: | Bulbous pommel sword |
| Use: | weapon |
| Creation time: | approx. 5. – 1. Century BC Chr. |
| Region of origin / author: |
Celts |
| Overall length: | up to approx. 100 cm |
| Particularities: | Approx. 50 pieces received worldwide |
| Lists on the subject | |
The knobbly sword or Celtic rapier is a peculiar type of sword , of which only about 50 examples were found almost exclusively in rivers or lakes in France , southern Germany and Switzerland . Due to the absence of air, the weapons are often preserved in good condition.
description
The bulbous pommel sword is made entirely of steel from Celtic production . Instead of a guard two steel tubers are mounted between the handle and blade passed along with the typical tubers at the upper end of the handle of the sword his name. In shape, it most closely resembles a 17th century rapier .
It is probably an early form of deliberately made Damascus steel . Due to the excellent forging technique (see "outstanding craftsmanship" ), the first specimens found were initially assigned to the Middle Ages . The history of the Celtic origin only became known through chemical and X-ray technological examinations.
use
According to Birkhan , these swords have always been understood as ritual objects, for example for a sword dance or as an object of justice (e.g. during or after a war). They were not intended for combat use. Pieces with clear "signs of use" in the form of nicks in the cutting edge speak against this thesis. A cultic or non-combative use does not justify the excellent steel quality.
literature
- W. Krämer: A Knollenknaufswwert from the Chiemsee, Festschrift for Friedrich Wagner, 1962, 109 ff.
- M. Paysan: The Celtic Rapiers , Archeology in Germany 3/2002
Individual evidence
- ^ Susanne Sievers / Otto Helmut Urban / Peter C. Ramsl: Lexicon for Celtic Archeology. A-K and L-Z ; Announcements of the prehistoric commission in the publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2012, ISBN 978-3-7001-6765-5 , p. 1688.
- ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3 , pp. 798 f., 1128 f.
- ↑ http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/iss/kap_a/advanced/ta_1_1c.html
- ↑ The world of the Celts - centers of power - treasures of art, Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgart 2012, ISBN 3799507523