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Steve Sarak





Joined: 14 Oct 2005

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PostPosted: Thu 18 May, 2006 11:27 am    Post subject: What did the original grip look like?         Reply with quote

I’ve looked all over the net and can’t find an exact match to this sword. Does anyone have an idea of what the grip looked like in its prime?


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Last edited by Steve Sarak on Thu 18 May, 2006 3:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Roger Hooper




Location: Northern California
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
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PostPosted: Thu 18 May, 2006 11:43 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Look at this website - http://www.bronze-age-craft.com/
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Matthew Amt




Location: Laurel, MD, USA
Joined: 17 Sep 2003

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PostPosted: Fri 19 May, 2006 5:29 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Yup, what he said, specifically the "Swords for Sale" page of that site. Neil makes the BEST swords! I've got a couple of his on my own site, plus a couple from other sources:

http://www.larp.com/hoplite/BAweapons.html

Jeroen Zuiderwijk has hilted twice as many swords as I have, so definitely look at his page, too:

http://1500bc.com/bronzeage/index_eng.html

Heck, Neil and Jeroen taught me most of what I know about bronze swords! They are the giants on this subject.

Now, the sword you have isn't exactly the Ewart Park style and it isn't a Naue II, but the hilt is probably going to be about the same as those anyway.

Good luck!

Matthew
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Steve Sarak





Joined: 14 Oct 2005

Posts: 43

PostPosted: Fri 19 May, 2006 7:04 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks, it’s strange that no one had an Italian reproduction. The end of the Italian sword doesn’t end flat but tapers inwards towards the center, I wonder if the grip looked like the others and was covered it up or was it curved to reflect the tapering. But either way after seeing the others, I have a good idea of what it probably looked like.

Now here’s another question. The grip around mine has a groove running around it. Was the wooden grip beveled at the edges so the wood would slide inside or did they rivet the wood straight on so the groove would push down into the wood? Don’t know if you could help with that one but thanks anyway.
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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
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Location: Netherlands
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PostPosted: Fri 19 May, 2006 7:56 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

My knowledge of Italian bronze age swords is pretty much nil. However, the grip is very similar to the rest of the European swords, so like Matthew said, the construction would have been similar. The pommel shape can be very different though. There's only one example that I know of of an Italian sword with hilt preserved. It's a somewhat different sword, possibly later then yours (1000-800BC, yours I'd estimate a few hundred years earlier). It has an ivory hilt and pommel. In this case, the hilt plates are laid within the flanges of the hilt, not covering them. Here's some images:







Notice that this sword has and extension on the hilt, which protrudes through the back of the pommel. In your case the pommel would have been attached to extensions of the hilt plates, instead of metal part of the hilt, and probably glued in place. That is, if it followed the same hilt assembly of the British Ewart Park swords, which doesn't necessarily have to be the case.
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Steve Sarak





Joined: 14 Oct 2005

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PostPosted: Fri 19 May, 2006 10:38 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

This answers exactly what I was trying to figure out.

I also noticed that the grip is sets inside the raised ridge of the sword.

I browsed all over the net and couln't find anything.

Roger, Matthew, Jeroen, the first round is on me.


Last edited by Steve Sarak on Sat 20 May, 2006 6:02 am; edited 2 times in total
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Steve Sarak





Joined: 14 Oct 2005

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PostPosted: Fri 19 May, 2006 10:46 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

"It has an ivory hilt and pommel"

That’s ivory not wood? Looking at the condition of the blade I doubt that wood would have survived but I just want to make sure. If it is ivory then it faded and chipped a bit.

The sword sure would have looked sweet in its youth, white grip, bronze blade.
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Steve Sarak





Joined: 14 Oct 2005

Posts: 43

PostPosted: Sat 20 May, 2006 6:21 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Matthew, I like your website I've been looking at it off and on for the last couple of years.

Jeroen, are those personal pictures you took or a link pointing to a museum? If they are from the web, any chance of getting the link?

When I display the sword, I was thinking of having a hilt made and setting it next to it. Do either one of you or do you know anyone that makes hilts, either ivory or bone, from measurements?

If anyone hears of someone making Italian bronze swords please let me know.

Thanks again.
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