Tárnoki Judit szerk.: Tisicum - A Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Megyei Múzeumok Évkönyve 19. (2009)
Régészettudomány - Ilon Gábor - Egy kora vaskori bronz hosszúkard a Dunántúlról
Régészettudomány Gábor ILON A bronze long sword dating to the Early Iron Age found in Transdanubia, Hungary The sword as subject of my exposé was the private property of Károly Horváth in May 1995, who was a retired elementary school history teacher and lived in Borsosgyőr ] (Veszprém County, Hungray), when I visited him at his apartment to discourse the excavation of the Avar cemetery in Kemeneshőgyész 2. After having shown the artifact, I was allowed to take it to the museum for two days to have it drawn. 3 The only facts he imparted in respect to the circumstances under which the sword had been found were that its place of discovery had been located somewhere in Transdanubia, and one of his former pupils had given it to him as present. Neither its former proprietor, nor further details of its future have been known since then. Description of the artifact Bronze sword. This sword has four 4 rivet-holes on the hilt that is slightly broader in its central section, and two more on the shoulders. The end of the handle plate is missing. The blade's width at the shoulders is 65 mm, while it is 40 mm at its widest section. The length of the blade and the hilt totals 785 mm. (Fig. 1.) Function It must have been the long cutting weapon 5 of a warrior mounted on horseback or combating on a war chariot, thus its center of balance on the forte is placed on the upper part of the lower third. It is conceivable that it was a leading warrior's weapon contrary to the masses using (classic Giindlingen type) short swords. Chronology This sword can be classified into the category of tanged bronze swords dating to the Hallstatt period. Despite that the end of the handle plate is missing, it is assumed to have been one of the Mindelheim classic type swords that have disputed 6 origins and chronological classification. Although these were 830 - 940 mm in length, it must be stressed that the handle of this artifact is incomplete. Of the swords known until today, including their versions found in WelsPernau and Bubesheim, only two had four rivets on their handles; more specifically, the one found in Grave 607 of Hallstatt (Oberösterreich, Austria - the Mindelheim classic type) and the stray find of Wertheim (Baden-Würtemberg, Germany - the Wels-Pernau version) 7 have been such pieces. This sword was used at the beginning of the Iron Age in the Hallstatt C period 8. Dispersion Pieces of the Mindelheim classic type have been found in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Denmark, Sweeden, and Norway. Pieces of the Wels-Pernau version have been found in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania (Transylvania), and Denmark. 9 The fact that this sword was found in Transdanubia, if the information are genuine, is no longer surprising, because this artifact fills a logically presumable gap, at the same time, it carries a new but quintessential message, which specifically communicates that, owing to its topographical location, it can be considered as the novel specimen of the Wels-Pernau version found in Hungary. Therefore, the concept conveyed by the Hallstatt long swords of Transdanubia (bronze: „Dombóvár?", iron: Doba, Dorog) 1 0 known to date has been tinged with by this artifact. 1 Dákai u. 8/b 2 ILON Gábor 1996. 85. 3 Made by István UGHY (1995), András RADIOS (2009) 4 These are not identical in diamater. 5 COWEN, John David 1955. 99-100, 113, SCHAUER, Peter 1971. 16, 196-197. 6 COWEN, John David 1955. 97-100,109, SCHAUER, Peter 1971. 213-215, 7 SCHAUER, Peter 1971.193,195, Tat. 92, 94. 606, Taf. 95. 617. 8 COWEN, John David 1955.100,109,113, SCHAUER, Peter 1971.197198, 214, Abb. 2, TORBRÜGGE, Walter 1991. 383, Tab.1. 9 SCHAUER, Peter 1971.193-195,198. 10 KEMENCZE1 1991.68-70, Taf. 61. 270-274, TORBRÜGGE 1991. on Map 1. (Appendix 11) the bronze sword of „Dombóvár?" has been listed in accordance with its location of preservation (Veszprém, Hungary). 321 |
