Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 33/4. (2013)
Articles
18 D. ToPAL akinakai could be divided into three main groups: >25 cm; 25-35 cm; 35-55 cm. Akinakai with the bight on the hilt are represented in all groups, but most of them in latter, while the swords and daggers without a bight tend mainly to the first two. The aims of the bight or an opening on the handle (presented only on early Scythian akinakai) have not been clearly defined yet. E. V. Cernenko suggested that it served to attach a kind of a sword-knot in order to wear the sword on the hand and ‘to prevent its loss during the fight’.80 Probably, the high length of the swords with bights (as a part of sword-knots) implies the fight on horses, i.e. we could assume the equestrian nature of this type of weaponry. So, no wonder that this functional element is almost completely absent on daggers or short swords. Caucasus is represented by another series of akinakai of Kelermes type from Tlia necropolis, e.g. from the graves 93, 94, 106, 128, 129 and 216 (Pi 5/2-7)?' and even more, the author of the excavations in Tlia emphasizes that they have not only the morphological similarity, but also the technological closeness: these exemplars were made of soft raw steel.82 There is also need to mention akinakai from Samtavro cemetery83 (e. g. from grave 212 (Pi 5/13)) and the massive dagger from burial pit 12 from Nigvziani, Georgia84 (PL 5/14). Two akinakai were found on the right bank of Dnieper river: one of them comes from A. A. Bobrinsky’s collection85 and another one from Daryevka area (PL 5/21) near Shpola,86 and besides, the latter, despite the absence of the bight under the pommel and heart-shaped hafting plate is very close to the exemplar from grave 164 from Tlia. As the exemplar from Tlia, it has similar bone scabbard’s end decorated in Animal style. Also it is very closed to Kelermes type the finding from Smela87 (PL 5/20). The exemplar found in 1970s near Slavjanogork, Donetsk region88 could be attributed to Kelermes type (PL 5/9). It has triform shaft-shaped hilt with massive pommel without a bight under, but this fact, however, 80 Cernenko 1980, 13. 81 M. Pirtskhalava even in 1995 attributed these akinakai as ‘so called Kelermes type’, stressing the lack of their prototype in Pre-Scythian time (Pirtskhalava 1995, 56). 82 The akinakes from grave 93 is an exception and it was forged from high quality steel (Tekhov 1980, 248). 83 Terenozhkin 1975, fig. 20/2-4. 84 Mikeladze - Baramidze 1977, fig. 3/6. 85 Meljukova 1964, fig. 20/1. 86 Il’inskaja 1975, tab. XXXIV/18; Kossack 1987, Abb. 33/1. 87 Shramko et al. 1970, 45, fig. 2/3. 88Privalova - Privalov 1988, fig. 4/9; Dubovskaja - Podobed 1993,46-47, fig. 55/1. did not prevent the authors to trace analogies to Kelermes and Melgunov burials, Yasnozorje and Karmir-Blur, the main typological feature for them was ‘the hafting plate of Kelermes type’.89 Stray-find from Sosnovka, Sumy region are also among analogies.90 Kharkiv region also gives us a dagger of Kelermes type from Russky Bishkin (now: Nizhniy Bishkin)91 (PL 5/10). Similar forms are known for Don forest-steppe: from Lipetsk92 (PL 5/8), Nikolskoe, Lipetsk region93 (PL 6/7), a well-preserved akinakes from Mordovskiy Karay, Saratov region94 (PL 5/16), Tugolukovo, Tambov region95 (PL 6/8) and Yulovskaja volost96 (PL 5/18). A dagger with triform handle, butterflyshaped hafting plate and median rib on the blade (PL 5/15) was found in Voronezh region, near Monastyrshchina.97 The exemplar, supposedly, from Lugovsk (Orenburg region) is probably the most eastern find of Kelermes type sword without a bight under the pommel98 99. There is a series of swords that we could attribute to Kelermes type (despite of the lack of the bight) originating from Carpathian-Balkan area, e. g. an akinakes found in Ploe§ti-Triaj, Romania, near tumuli of Bronze age and Ferigiletype." A. Vulpe, the author of the most complete catalogue of swords and daggers of Early Iron age of Romania, attributed this sword to his Ferigile- Läceni type which consists of the swords of early stage of Ferigile cemetery (including burial mound 41). Besides this, basing on ‘his typological considerations and comparison with prestige swords from Litoj (Melgunov) burial mound’ he dated this akinakes by ‘1st half of 6th c. BC’.100 And, indeed, the sword from Ploie§ti, despite to the lack of hafting plate, is very close to akinakai from Tugolukovo and Nikolskoje (PL 6/7-8) due to hilt’s form and ornamentation of the pommel with horizontal parallel lines could be surely attributed to Kelermes type. Along this big sword 89 Dubovskaja - Podobed 1993, 47. 90 Kulatova 1992, 80-84, fig. 1/2. 91 Sibilev 1926, tab. XXV/2; Grechko 2010, 62/1. 92 Klokov 1996, 126, fig. 4/2. 93 Voroshilov 2011, 163, fig/6. 94 Morzherin 2004, 182. 95 Medvedev 1999, 104, fig. 51/3. 96 Maksimov - Polesskih 1971, fig. 2/1. 97 Demidova 1964; Liberov 1965, 75. 98 This item is displayed in Orenburg Governors Museum of History but the exact place of its discovery is unknown. I take this opportunity to thank A. Denisov for information about this important find. 99 Vulpe 1987, 177, fig. 2/1; 1990, 32, Taf. 4/16. 100 Vulpe 1990, 33.
