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

III. THE HUNGARIAN SWORD STYLE - The classification of the material

with the palmette frieze is barely recognisable. Another important element is that — again similarly to the Cernon scabbard — the domed round chape-clamps are ornamented with a triskeles, whilst the O-shaped closed chape-end is covered with an intricate tendril pattern of hatched leaves and spirals. The chape-end of another Liter scabbard (No.

2: Cat.no. 40; PL 45,1) is closely allied: the pattern is composed of a central lotus motif with fans, simple spirals and triskeles. A chape from Cannes-Ecluse (Seine-et-Marne) whose Oshaped chape-end is also adorned with a central fan motif can be assigned to the same group.

267 Recent conservation work on the sword scabbard from grave 2 of the Kosd cemetery (Cat.no. 29; PL 28) which bears a Type I dragonpair,

268 shows that it can be assigned to the same chape series. (Unfortunately, the complete ornament could not be reconstructed.) In the final analysis, these weapons can also in this respect all be derived from the Waldalgesheim tradition, as shown by the continuous tendril ornament on the chape-end of the Varenna (Como) scabbard (Fig. 26) 269 In terms of chronology, the sword scabbard from grave 30 of the Magyarszerdahely cemetery (Cat.no. 43; Pis 49-50) can be regarded as a Carpathian antecedent: its open cordate chape-end has two inset discs decorated with triskeles, whilst the lower border is adorned by a relief of interlocking S-spirals reminiscent of a "running dog" motif.

270 The reverse of the scabbard is covered with ring-punched decoration (chagrinage): a good parallel is offered by the weapon remains recovered from grave G-3 1192 of Pecine.

271 The latter two burials can be confidently assigned to the La Tène B2 phase,

272 suggesting that the swords from Cernon-sur-Coole and Halimba, as well as the comparable specimens mentioned above can be viewed as a morphological transition between the early and middle La Tène forms

273 and that they can be directly linked to La Tène B2 type finds. A recent find, the ornamented sword scabbard from grave 1 of Lovasberény (Cat.no. 41; Pis 46, 47) offers fresh clues for their chronological position. This scabbard which is closely allied to the Cernon-Drfia-HalimbaLitér 2 series was found in a grave context that can be dated to the very beginning of the Middle La Tène period. Its front plate bears a variant of the Type II dragon-pair,

274 whilst the reverse can best be compared to the ornamentation of the Halimba scabbard: a lotus flower derivative decomposed into a whirligig motif placed between triangular leaves filled with curved hatching. The suspension-loop is ornamented with a triskeles, whilst the chapeend is covered with a chain of spirals. The chape of the scabbard from grave 2 of Kosd (Cat.no. 29) probably also decorated in a similar manner.

275 The sword from Rábatamási (Cat.no. 53; PL 52,2) — which was lost during the Second World War — must also be mentioned in this context: a surviving photo suggest that its suspension-loop was close to that of the Lovasberény scabbard.

276 Fig. 26 Varenna (Como), tendril ornament on the chape-end of the iron scabbard from a warrior's cremation grave (after a drawing by Kruta; see also De Marinis [1977] pi. 2.IS) Yet another Middle La Tène sword can also be linked to the Cernon-sur-Coole scabbard even if on slightly differing grounds. The upper part of the strongly damaged front plate of a Szob scabbard (Cat.no. 61; PL 63; 111. 111,2)