Mária T. Biró: The Bone Objects of the Roman Collection. (Catalogi Musei Nationalis Hungarici. Seria Archeologica 2; Budapest, 1994)

I. BONE CARVINGS DECORATING WEAPONS AND MILITARY EQUIPMENT - 2. Hilt guards or basket hilts - 3. Hilts - 4. Scabbard slides

2. Hilt guards or basket hilts A part of the hilt is the hilt guard or basket serving to ward off strike or thrust. (No. 13.) This lamella protecting the hand was also made of bone. A bone plate similar in its shape to the oval, metal hilt guard published by Oldenstein

29 can be found in the Collection. In the middle of the oval bone lamella there is a rectangular hole for fixing in the hilt. It is very similar to the specimen published from Saalburg, where the metal hilt guard is decorated with perforated metal plate; while here the bone carving is lined with a plastically formed double rib. 3. Hilts In Roman find material decorated bone tubes, reminiscent of Avar needle cases, often occur. (Many of these were entered into the inventory as needle cases.) The function of these bone tubes can be proved. On the basis of the surviving upper part of a sword found intact at Cannstatt and dating to the middle of the 2nd century, these bone tubes could be identified.

30 On the Cannstatt sword the ivory pommel continued in a bone tube decorated with horizontal and oblique cannellatures proving that these tubes were not needle cases but sword and dagger hilts. Bone hilt decoration was very diversified. All the hilts published by Oldenstein are unique pieces (Zugmantel: 10/17, 20, 21, Buch: 10/18, Saalburg 10/19, Butzbach: 10/16, Cannstatt: 10/22.). (Nos. 14-17.) These same refers to the hilts to be found in the Collection of the Hungarian National Museum. Three pieces come from Szőny, and a fragment is known from Dunapentele. The type of one of the specimens from Szőny is unique and as yet unknown in literature, where among the 5-6 cm thick bone rings 2 mm-thin is not known; there are on our fragment seven bone rings left with the bronze ring in between. One of the other two hilts from Szőny is covered with spiral lines preferred with 3rd century decorated pins while the other is decorated with the astragalos motif often used on unguentum sticks and spindles. These decorations in themselves are not enough for dating; Oldenstein in the possession of other criteria for dating put the bone hilts published by him to the middle and end of the 2nd century.

31 4. Scabbard slides The first bone carving of this type from Dunapentele was published by K. Sági as female head-dress ornament.

32 The respective bone carving was in fact a military accessory, more exactly a scabbard slide. (Fig. 1.) A considerable literature has dealt with the research of scabbard slides. Although Trousdale's monograph primarily focused on the Asian occurrence of scabbard slide, still it contains the fullest collection of data pertaining to its European parallels as well.

33 Bone scabbard slides are most probably of Central Asian origin. They appeared in Syria at the beginning of the 2nd century, while they were continuously used in the European provinces from the end of the 2nd century onwards.

34 It has been assumed by Western European experts as well that their appearance was a result of Roman contact with the Sarmatians and Parthians.

35 There are three major types of scabbard slides. In one, the bone loop is attached with thin leather straps passed through two perforations.

36 The second type is fixed at the middle at the point where, with the former type, the place of the belt serving for suspension of the sword was. In this case the belt is passed somewhat lower, in the area between the tang of the scabbard slide bent below and the scabbard itself. (Fig. 3.) This second type is more characteristic of Asian swords.