Istvánovits Eszter (szerk.): A nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum Évkönyve 55. (Nyíregyháza, 2013)

A 2010. október 11-14. között Nyíregyházán és Szatmárnémetiben megtartott Vándorló és letelepült barbárok a kárpáti régióban és a szomszédos területeken (I-V. század) Új leletek, új értelmezések című nemzetközi régészeti konferencia anyagai - Renata Madyda-Leugutko et al.: Új adatok a Felső-San-vidék római kori kulturális helyzetéhez

Marcin Biborski - Piotr Kaczanowski

These pieces were attached to the tang by rivets. Compared to the specimens widely used by the Romans towards the end of the 2nd century, hilts from the 3rd century underwent a modification. Apart from spherical pommels still in use, made of organic materials and similar to those found at gladius swords, pommels of slightly flattened ovoid appearance emerged (e.g. a pommel from Mainz: Lindenschmit 1882. Pl. XI: 5; from Chur-Welschdörfli: Fellmann 1966. Fig. 3). The forms of guards also changed. Beside less popular but still in use semi-spherical forms, new types appeared: flattened, oblong or trapezium-shaped ones (Biborski-Ilkjjer 2006. 192, Oldenstein 1977. PI. 10: 14). Grips remained generally unchanged, with cylindrical shape and transverse or oblique ribs for better grasp.

A separate group consists of hilts whose guards and pommels are crescent-shaped and are made of organic materials, usually cow bones or ivory (e.g. hilt from Stuttgart-Bad Cannstadt: Kemkes-Scheuerbrandt 1997. 71, PI. 5, Fig. 1). Hilts made of bone discovered at Vimose can be included into this category (Engelhardt 1869. PI. 6, Fig. 1: 3) and Illerup (Biborski-Ilkjaer 2006. Bd. 11, 232; Bd. 12, 145, Inv.no. DLI). It is worthwhile mentioning here that the parazonium hilts were of the same shape (LoE 1937. 113, Fig. 44, Béal-Feugére 1987. 96).

In the second half of the 2nd century, or perhaps in the early-3rd century, swords with metal hilts came into use. They reminded the above-mentioned wooden forms, namely those with spherical pommels and semi-spherical guards. These hilts were constructed using a wooden core plated with non-ferrous metals.

The greatest diversity of the 3rd century hilt forms is recorded for finds from the Barbaricum area, particularly for those discovered at moor-sites where numerous specimens with elements made from organic materials were preserved. This partially applies to finds dated to the next century as well. Apart from the forms known from the Roman Empire, other types also occur there, some very similar and others different in shape and construction. It is very difficult and sometimes simply impossible to say which items are products of Roman manufacturers and which are imitations produced in barbarian workshops. One of the hints suggesting Roman origin is the use of ivory. However, this criterion can be deceptive for two reasons. Firstly, macroscopic analysis does not always allow to distinguish ivory and walrus tusk. Secondly, we should take into account that local manufacturers could make the hilts using imported resources such as ivory or possibly glass elements too (i.e. magic sword pendants). Sword hilts from Illerup, with ivory guards and pommels serve as an example here. Metal (most often silver) plated wooden hilts, may be recognised as products of workshops operating in the Barbaricum, manufactured according to local stylistics without clear references to the Roman forms. Examples are the finds from Illerup and slightly younger forms from Kragehul and Nydam. They are dated to the first (Illerup) and second (Kragehul and Nydam) half of the 3rd century (Biborski-Ilkjaer 2006. Bd. 11, 231-235, Bd 12, 169-170, Engelhardt 1865. PI. 6: 3, Bemmann-Bemmann 1998. 53, PI. 39: 55, Iversen 2010. 75, PI. 40-41). A similar hilt type is represented by the specimens in which a grip, a pommel and a guard were made of some organic material, most likely leather and wood. The assembly was reinforced with metal rings.

From moor-sites there are also known the already mentioned wooden hilts of Roman type swords, with spherical pommels and semi-spherical guards, which probably were produced or reworked in “barbarian” workshops. They are decorated by metal (usually silver) studs, regularly arranged at the pommels and guards (Raddatz 1987. PI. 6: 1). So far, such finds are unknown from the territory of the Roman state. There is no evidence or reason to believe that local manufacturers used magic sword pendants for producing hilts. Discoveries from the barbarian territory, primarily from moor-finds, seem to indicate that swords with hilts decorated with these pendants, so-called “magische Perlen”, were relatively common finds and that they were Roman imports. They belonged to local elite, who emphasised their social position not only by the decoration of sword hilts and

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