Early medieval swords from the territory of Romania (8th-11th century)
Jan. 1, 2022
Keywords:
8th-11th centuries
early medieval period
sword scabbard chape
swords
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Abstract
This article focuses on early medieval double-edged swords and their parts, as well as sword scabbard chapes, all of which originate from the territory of present-day Romania. Sixteen swords and fragments were identified and classified according to J. Petersen's or A. Geibig's typology based on the structural parts of the hilt. Eight of the swords are stray finds, and the archaeological context of four specimens is unclear. Three are believed to have come from burial sites, and only one sword is known with certainty to have been found in a grave.
The typological and chronological classification of the swords examined in this study is based on a comparative analysis with their foreign parallels from Central and Northern Europe, as some of them have an unsatisfactory typological classification in previously published older works. Conversely, there are instances where works have been neglected or not updated since their initial publication.
Regarding sword scabbard chapes, only two specimens are known, with unclear circumstances of discovery; their closest analogues are found in Eastern Europe according to the classification of G. F. Korzuchyna and V. Kazakevičius.
All the objects can be dated from the 8th to the 11th century.
The presented work also includes a sword from southern Banat, the province of Vojvodina, which is currently in the collections of the National Museum of Banat in Timișoara. Based on typological classification, this sword fits into the period we are studying.
