Istvánovits Eszter: International Connections... (Jósa András Múzeum Kiadványai 47. Aszód-Nyíregyháza, 2001)

Eszter Istvánovits - Valéria Kulcsár: Sarmatians through the eyes of strangers. The Sarmatian warrior

For both a U-shaped scabbard chape is clear. These are relatively wide, double-edged weapons. The hilt of the Roxolan sword is well depicted: its lack of a crossbar and pommel distinguishes it from the Roman gladius (fig. 8: 4). These weapons occur in the archaeological material: swords without metal pommel but with a metal scabbard chape have been found in several places. These scabbard chapes are U- or disc-shaped. Examples appear in the material from Hortobágy-Poroshát cemetery (fig. 8: 2-3) (grave IV. 8: silver U-shaped; grave XL 2: iron disc; grave XL 20: iron disc - ZOLTAI 1941, 285, 303-304, 307, Taf. VI: 39, XIV: 5, XV: 24; ISTVÁNOVITS-KULCSÁR 1994, fig. 7: 2-3), and elsewhere: a silver chape coming from one of the barrows at Geszteréd (BONA 1986, 16. kép); and the iron sword from Hajdúdorog-Szállásföldek (fig. 8: 1) supplied with an iron chape (SÖREGI 1935, 77-80; PÁRDUCZ 1950, 191, site 430; ISTVÁNOVITS-KULCSÁR 1994, fig. 7: 1). On the basis of the grave goods accompanying them (terra sigillata, so-called Sarmatian buckle etc.), these weapons can be dated to the end of the 2

nd - beginning of the 3

rd c. Judging from the depictions on Trajan's Column, these types could have already been in use at the turn of the l

st-2

nd c. on the Lower Danube and, judging from the depiction of the Jazyges, in the Carpathian Basin as well. No changes in these weapons can be traced until the middle or end of the 3

rd c. There is also another type of sword among the earliest weapons of the Sarmatians of the Carpathian Basin: a group of short swords with ring-shaped pommel dated to the 2

nd - 3

rd c. (fig. 9). The earliest example of this type is seen in a relatively recent find from Újszilvás (TARI 1994) dated - on the basis of a fibula ETTLINGER (1973) type 34 - to the time of Trajan's wars (fig. 9: 2). More widely known is the one found in Gáva-Katóhalom (fig. 9: 1) (recently BIBORSKI 1994). Sarmatian swords with ring-shaped pommel differ from the similar Roman swords despite their identical portrayal in depictions (e.g. the one at the tombstone from Aquincum - fig. 9: 5, BISHOP-COULSTON 1993, fig. 72: 2; FERRI 1933, fig. 286). From recent Roman finds we can mention one Sarmatian-type sword with ring-shaped pommel from Százhalombatta (SOPRONI 1998, 16). This type of Sarmatian sword is rare in Roman depictions. From the works of barbarian art it is encountered on a metal vessel from Himlingoje, Denmark (fig. 9: 7) (LUND HANSEN 1995, 142, 237, fig. 4: 6a, Taf. 2) depicting a human figure armed with a sword with a ring-shaped pommel (FETTICH 1930, 240). We also find several examples of swords or daggers with ring-shaped pommels on the gravestones of the Bosporan Kingdom (ROSTOVTSEV 1913/14, tab. LXXXIV: 1; DAVYDOVA 1990, 56-58, cat. 46-48), where a short sword or dagger is always attached to the right limb of cavalrymen (fig. 9: 6, 8). On a Palmyran depiction, a dagger with ring-shaped pommel is also seen on the right side. The scabbard is similar to the one from the 1

st c. A.D. princely grave of Porogi (Ukraine) (fig. 9: 3) and a number of South Russian burials of the same period (SIMONENKO-LOBAI 1991, 40-41). A similar depiction comes from a relief of Mithridates I, ruler of Commagene (fig. 9: 4) (SEYRIG 1937, 13, 29-30).

4 4 Similar daggers or short swords can be seen at several depictions of the early Sassanian kings (e.g. TREVER-LUKONIN 1987, cat. 4, tab. 10-11, cat. 2, tab. 6-7).