Germanic Iron-Aged Weapons -- myArmoury.com

Justin H. Núñez · Posted: Tue 13 Apr, 2010 11:23 am Post subject:

Yes, that is most excellent work.

What will the suspension be like and how will it hang?

Christian Böhling · Industry Professional

Thank you very much for your kind words Happy

There will be two suspension loops to be fixed to the sword belt... sometimes those swords were found acompanied with small brass figure heads which are fixed to the leather straps which are fastened to the brass rings at the scabbard, so you could fasten the sword scabbard like with two "buttons"...

But this is not for shure as the swords often were found in a funeral burial and the metal parts survived only as a lump of parts which are not certainly understandable.

The celtic variants of this type of sword seem to have been carried at a sword-chain, maybe some of the corroded pieces of metal in the lumps belonged to similair sword chains, though they seem to have been uncommon in Germania.

So this is unsolved....

BTW: I left the hammered surface of the scabbard even if I strongly believe in a very fine surface finish of the iron scabbards. But this "forge-finish" has a very special look, also I left the special finish of the polished scale on the blade, it gives a very ancient look of this sword. Sad, but the pics don´t show the light reflexions on the blade and scabbard right. It really looks great!

Shahril Dzulkifli · Posted: Thu 15 Apr, 2010 6:05 pm Post subject: Germanic Iron Age Weapons

You know what Christian, if you watch Warriors with Terry Schappert: Barbarian Massacre you can see how your country looks like during Arminius' time. Host Terry Schappert even battled reenactors dressed as Germanic warriors and Roman legionaries in the famed Teutoburg Forest and your famous creation, the Cherusker sword (below) was shown briefly in the program.

Christian Böhling · Industry Professional

Shahril Dzulkifli · Posted: Fri 16 Apr, 2010 4:37 pm Post subject: Germanic Iron Age Weapons

Christian,
Warriors with Terry Schappert: Barbarian Massacre is not a movie. It's a documentary produced by the History Channel. Here in Malaysia we do have that channel.

Christian Böhling · Industry Professional

Christian Böhling · Industry Professional

Hi, this is the next one of the germanic late La Tene Swords SIIa from the Nienbüttel Type:

This one has a bronze guard instead of the iron guard of the last one. Also the wooden hilt is a little bit different to the other one. Also the steel scabbard is polished. Also the bronze knob on the pommel is smaller but has a bronze plate under it.....
This was my work for the last two weeks...

What do you say?

Cheers

Chris

Christian Böhling · Industry Professional

Hmm, seems that this topic is slowly dying out Wink

Ragimond Luebke · Posted: Sun 02 May, 2010 5:48 am Post subject: Germanic Iron-Aged Weapons

For all those over across the pond .Can you get pic or having any pics of the scabbards...
Thanks..I'm looking for any more pics on the vimose sword or seax...

Petr Florianek · Industry Professional

we will not let it die!
i like the first one, but i like the second even better!

I must get to powerhammer to break some material i have here and make some of this goodness too!

Robert P. Wimmers · Industry Professional

This topic has been a great inspiration and help to me!! Thank you so much, guys! Here is the result, scabbard fiitings based on Harsfelt, scabbard makeup (glued ash slats) Vimose:

Matthew Harrington · Posted: Tue 19 Mar, 2013 2:13 pm Post subject:

Ragimond Luebke · Posted: Tue 19 Mar, 2013 2:20 pm Post subject: Germanic Iron-Aged Weapons

Looks bloody great Robert.. Big Grin

PLease do more -never enuff out there...
Besides that is one of my favor style of blades...... Big Grin

William P · Posted: Thu 21 Mar, 2013 1:58 am Post subject:

Robert P. Wimmers · Industry Professional

Thanks guys!
Here is a langsax I made for an archeologist for his PhD, as he wanted to show different ways of reproduction of a piece he had done the conservation of. The handle is of a single piece of horn and extends over the blade, as the original data suggests. The horn was deformed to shape using heat, as horn when heated to over 180 degrees celcius loses its "shape-memory" and will remain in the shape it was formed into. I used a vice to crimp the hot horn over the blade, setting the whole thing with boneglue. Then I shaped the handle with file and sandpaper.

Shahril Dzulkifli · Posted: Mon 29 Sep, 2014 10:09 am Post subject: Germanic Iron Age Weapons

Christian, this La Tène sword of yours looks a bit strange because its blade is square-pointed just like its scabbard.

Harry Marinakis · Posted: Tue 16 Dec, 2014 7:31 am Post subject:

I am researching Iron-Age scabbards, with emphasis on non-metallic scabbards (i.e., scabbards for non-professional DIY projects). Is this an accurate summary of Iron-Age scabbards? I would appreciate comments and corrections, with very specific references please.

Most Iron-Age scabbards were made from bronze (Oakeshott 1960, Ch. 3) or iron (Stead 2006, p. 9), but a small subset of scabbards were made from organic materials (wood and leather). These organic scabbards are the focus of this section. There are significant differences between continental and British Iron-Age swords and scabbards.

The Iron Age scabbards that were made primarily from organic materials had a wood core that was wrapped either with a leather cover or metal bands. The scabbard was lined with hair-covered animal hides. A metal locket was wrapped around the throat, on the back of which was attached a metal bracket, but some scabbards had suspension rings instead of brackets. The scabbard was hung vertically from a baldric. A long iron chape was attached to the tip of the scabbard, and could extend up the edges for the full length of the scabbard. The chape often had a bulbous decorative finial at the tip. The chape often held a decorative metal plate on the front of the scabbard. Designs were engraved on the locket and chape plates.

Some wood cores were carved from a single piece of wood that was carved with a transverse cross section in the shape of a "C" (Stead 2006, p. 58 and figure 12). The wood wrapped around the front and both edges of the sword; the back was left open. Alternately, wood cores were made from two long, thin slats of wood that were warped around the sword (Stead 2006, p. 58). Finds of mineral-preserved wood cores show that willow, poplar, ash, lime, maple and cherry were used (Stead 2006, p. 58).

Scabbards were lined with hair-covered animal hides (Oakeshott 1960, Ch. 3).

The wood core was held together with a leather cover that wrapped all the way around or, alternatively, with transverse metal bands (Stead 2006, p. 58). In the case of the "C"-shaped scabbard, the leather covered the open back of the wood core.

The British scabbards generally have a locket with a suspension bracket mounted to the back of the locket (Stead 2006, p. 11 and fig. 5). Some scabbards instead had two suspension rings, one mounted on either side of the scabbard (Stead 2006, catalog #110, 112, 114 and 118). There is no direct evidence to suggest whether a belt or a baldric was used to suspend the scabbard. However, contemporary reliefs from Ninevah and Nimrud in the neo-Assyrian Empire (dated 900-700 B.C.) show scabbards suspended from baldrics (Oakeshott 1960, Ch. 3).

References

Cameron, Esther A. 2000. Sheaths and Scabbards in England AD400-1100. BAR British Series 301. Oxford, England: Archaeopress.

Oakeshott, R. Ewart. 1960. The Archeology of Weapons. London: Lutterwoth Press.

Stead, I.M. 2006. British Iron Age Swords and Scabbards. London: The British Museum Press.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collect...p;partId=1
The Rudstone La Tène sword showing the remnants of a "C-shaped scabbard that wrapped around the front and edges of an iron sword (British Museum catalog number 1976,0504.17). The back side of the wood core was left open, and the entire scabbard was like covered with leather. Cross-reference with Stead 2006 (sword #186, pp. 188-189 and pl. 8).

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collect...tid=827604
A La Tène III sword scabbard made from wood (ash) with a metal locket, transverse metal bands and a chape (British Museum catalog number 1952,0202.2).

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nineve...g_lion.jpg
A relief from the Neo-Assyrian Nineveh North Palace, showing a sword hung from a wide baldric and then tucked under a belt (700 B.C.).