Szabó Miklós, Petres F. Éva: Decorated weapons on the La Tene Iron Age in the Carpathian Basin. (Inventaria Praehistorica Hungariae 5; Budapest, 1992)

I. EXPERIMENTATION - Iron scabbards with stamped decoration

These iron scabbards are unlikely to predate the latest phase of the early La Tène period, a dating supported not only by morphological analyses,

79 but also by the La Tène B2 type finds recovered from grave 27 of the ManchingSteinbichel cemetery (Fig. 6).

80 Two closely related specimens can be quoted from the Carpathian Basin. Three main motifs can be distinguished in the decoration of the Potypuszta sword (Cat.no. 50; PI. 54; 111. I): concentric circles, fans (or heart-shaped palmettes) and two opposed semi-palmettes incorporated into a lozenge. These motifs are arranged into a geometric composition: the rows of geometric stamps form an "angular" plaited pattern, with the lozenges in whose centre the same motif is repeated, touching with their tips. The fan motif appears by the tips and the concentric circle along the side of the lozenge.

81 Similar schémas are not unknown in the western La Tène world and in Italy;

82 similar engraved variants have also been found in the Carpathian Basin.

83 The Graz scabbard (Cat.no. 76; PL 79) compares well with the Potypuszta specimen: however, its lozenge pattern is a simplified version of the motif that can be seen on the piece from western Transdanubia. In spite of the poor condition of the scabbard it is quite obvious that the circle, the fan and the former pattern were arranged into a geometric composition

84 indicating that these two scabbards from the Carpathian Basin were "closely allied to each other" to quote an extremely cautious statement.

85 Of the three motifs the concentric circle is one of the most common patterns in La Tène art.

86 The "fan" definitely belongs to the Waldalgesheim repertoire,

87 whilst the opposed semi-palmettes already make their appearance in the Early Style. The Potypuszta variant is related to the artistic concept which ultimately led to the emergence of the Hungarian Sword Style.

88 The stamped motif of the above-quoted Manching scabbard (Fig. 6) can be derived from the continuous tendril of the Waldalgesheim style; a similar pattern adorns a clay vessel from Sopron-Bécsidomb. (Fig. 7).

89 These interesting scabbards appear to be isolated phenomena in the eastern province of Celtic art. It is not entirely impossible that they were inspired not only by sword scabbards ornamented with bronze plaques, but also by contemporary leatherwork.

90 However, this mode of decoration, based on the stylistic repertoire of the Waldalgesheim Style, eventually proved to be a cul-de-sac: the Hungarian Sword Style proper is of an entirely different lineage.