Hi all,

I'm curious, does anyone have any knowledge of the timeframe occupied by ring-hilted spathae in period? I am NOT referring to ring-pommeled Migration-Era swords, but of swords that have a ring for their pommel. As best as I can ascertain, this is a Sarmatian style and first appears around the late 2nd century AD, but do we have an end date? Thanks!

See example:



Thanks!

A quick look in Miks´ "Studien zur römischen Schwertbewaffnung in der Kaiserziet" puts a period to late 2nd and 3rd century as period of use for the ring pommeled swords.

It seems to have been used especially by beneficiarii, i.e. soldier on special duty like policing, customs etc. Their gravestones and symbols often show the ring pommel sword. You can see it also on the chape I made a few years ago when you look closely:
http://sutor.jimdo.com/escapees/roman/thekenbeschlag-scabbard/

There were ring-hilted swords even in the times of Caesar...

Source: Miks

Thanks for the information! Any chance they could have gone into the 4th or 5th centuries? Thanks!

Hi, don't mean to be a stickler but would be nice if when you use my photos you reference or contact me.

Hello everyone :)

These sword type is called "ringknaufschwert" in german mean 'ring-pommel sword'.
They were addicted to Sarmatians but in 2nd century AD that type of swords were known
from roman iconography (for example see "Rome and the Sword" by Simon James published in 2011).
What is very interesting we (archeologists) had some examples from Barbaricum - moslty from Germany
and one from Poland :D Here it simple link to get more info about these sword type:

https://www.google.pl/search?client=opera&q=ringknaufschwert&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

To find more literature give me private message ;)

Regards,
Mike from Poland

Checked Miks. For Roman context the definite timespan is the 2nd century. Everything before or after is questionable, though they are there.

I myself never knew that a Sarmatian sword had been in service with Roman legionaries when they occupied Britain.
Picture below shows one recognizable ring-hilt spatha at the bottom of 5 long sword blades on display at the Archaeological Museum of Schloss Eggenberg in Graz, Austria.
[ Linked Image ]

Though i could be breaking a rule there (with how old the post is), i'd like to just add this in case someone re-discovers this thread much later :

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366398645_ROMAN_RING-POMMELED_SWORD_FROM_CRVENO_POLE_N_MACEDONIA

It appears an example of such a sword was recently discovered in a Macedonian, which would imply this type of sword was not just a Sarmatian thing. It seems to be dated to the 2nd-3rd century BCE.
The article cites an article from a certain Biborski published in 1994-1995 that dates Roman examples of such swords to the 2nd century, separating them in either a spatha-like or a dagger-like category

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A selection of Sarmatian ring pommel swords

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More Sarmatian swords

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Roman examples here

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A sword of the Roman type recovered near Mainz

Thread necromancy doesn't break any rule that I'm aware of. You just may be labeled source(rer) of new information,