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Branko Stepanovic
Location: Serbia, Jagodina Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Sun 03 Sep, 2006 4:59 pm Post subject: Medieval Serbian Swords |
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Does anyone have any info about medieval serbian swords (and other equipment). I'm also looking for more information about military equipment of ancient Slavs. I read once that they used spears, bows (with poisoned arrows), and light shields (possibly other light armour). Anyone?
Love and Be Free
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Craig Peters
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| Posted: Sun 03 Sep, 2006 5:42 pm Post subject: Re: Medieval Serbian Swords |
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| Branko Stepanovic wrote: | | Does anyone have any info about medieval serbian swords (and other equipment). I'm also looking for more information about military equipment of ancient Slavs. I read once that they used spears, bows (with poisoned arrows), and light shields (possibly other light armour). Anyone? |
Try picking up a copy of Arms & Armor of the Crusading Era 1050-1350: Islam, Eastern Europe, and Asia by David Nicolle. It contains descriptions of historical artifacts and period illustrations, as well as line drawings of each in the back of the book. One of the sections is dedicated to the Eastern Balkans.
From looking at the book, it appears that Serbians generally used equipment that was somewhat similar to Western Europe. There are illustrations of arrowheads, knives/daggers, a mace head, and spear heads. The mace is similar to many Hungarian/Eastern European maces, and is knobbed rather than flanged. Several of the arrows are socketed like Western European arrows, but a surviving tang arrow is steppe Asiatic. The swords depicted typically are similar to those of western Europe in style, although the suspensions are sometimes different. Both round shields and kite shields are depicted. The armour is more unusual, clearly reflecting ancient Roman forms in some cases (particularly the style of helms) and appears to be a composite mixture of mail and perhaps leather armours. Since I'm not particularly well versed in the fine points of composite armours from the near and far east, I will leave a more complete description up to someone else.
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Keith Culbertson
Location: Columbus, OH Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Sun 03 Sep, 2006 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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I very much recommend reading the Strategicon (attributed to Maurice, a Byzantine), as it is dedicated to specific battle observations against Slavs from very early. I remember distinctly that javelins were a favored Slavic weapon, but they also are known for borrowing from Norse and Central Asian neighbors as well, both early and later. I will check more resources another time,
best
Keith
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Kyro R. Lantsberger
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| Posted: Sun 03 Sep, 2006 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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What Craig said seems right on.
I spent almost a year in Bosnia with the US Army around the boundary between the Bosnian Federation and the Republika Srpska. I saw some antique Ottoman weaponry while I was there (family heirloom of a translator of ours), and although I didnt see any Serbian artifacts, the depictions in their artwork would point to looking more Western than Byzantine.
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Alexander Hinman
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| Posted: Sun 03 Sep, 2006 6:48 pm Post subject: Iconography |
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Branko,
Some Serbian weaponry can be found in icons. It was somewhere between Byzantine, Ottoman, and Western weapons and armour. One of my favorite examples of this can be found in Manasija monestary
St. Nicetas (Nikita) is the most interesting, in my opinion, holding a Turkish kilic with his index finger looped over the guard.
There is also a 14th century icon of St. Mercurios in the Church of St. Demetrios outside Peć shows St. Mercurios armed with a crossbow, shield, and sword.
I am unsure of what century you're looking for, though, Branko. Manasija is 15th c, and if you're looking for Slavs of around the dawn of the 7th century, Maurice's Strategikon is definitely the book to look at.
After the Ottoman invasion, things got more Turkish.
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Hisham Gaballa
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Branko Stepanovic
Location: Serbia, Jagodina Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 3:12 am Post subject: Re: Iconography |
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| Alexander Hinman wrote: | Branko,
Some Serbian weaponry can be found in icons. It was somewhere between Byzantine, Ottoman, and Western weapons and armour. One of my favorite examples of this can be found in Manasija monestary |
The painting of the Holy Warriors is exactly what I was thinking about, but I wasn't sure how accurate it is. Manasija was built at the begining of the 15c. after the collapse of the Serbian Empire by Despot Stefan Lazarevic (son of Knez Lazar Hrebeljanovic, who died in the Battle of Kosovo 1389 and is now buried in monastery of Ravanica). I was primarily looking for period of Nemanjic rule 1166-1371 but this period is also interesting to me. Stefan Lazarevic was member of Knights of the Dragon. Can you tell me something more about them?
Love and Be Free
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Branko Stepanovic
Location: Serbia, Jagodina Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 3:39 am Post subject: |
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I just found a picture of a Slavic warrior in my brother's history book for elementary school. Picture is modern and I'm not sure how accurate but I should be able to post it soon.
Love and Be Free
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Blaz Berlec
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Branko Stepanovic
Location: Serbia, Jagodina Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon 04 Sep, 2006 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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No I haven't. I live in Jagodina but I'm moving to Belgrade soon. Then I will have access to much more things. By the way do you understand Serbian?
Love and Be Free
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Blaz Berlec
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Branko Stepanovic
Location: Serbia, Jagodina Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Tue 05 Sep, 2006 4:11 am Post subject: |
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Hteo sam da kazem: jos uvek nisam bio u muzeju (samo sam razgledao topove i tenkove po Kalemegdanu). Uskoro idem za Beograd jer idem na fakultet pa cu moci da obilazim muzeje i imacu pristup bibliotekama koje su mnogo vece od nase gradske. All of you who don't understand this - sorry.
Translation:
"I wanted to say: I haven't been to the museum yet (I only saw the cannons and tanks on Kalemegdan). I am soon moving to Belgrade because I'm going to college and then I will be able to see museums and I will have access to libraries that are much bigger than our town's one. (All of you who don't understand this - sorry.)"
I didn't mean no harm. It was just easier for me to explain this in my own language.
Love and Be Free
Last edited by Branko Stepanovic on Tue 05 Sep, 2006 6:48 am; edited 2 times in total
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin
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Blaz Berlec
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| Posted: Tue 05 Sep, 2006 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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I have found some nice photos from Belgrade's war museum. Unfortunately, medieval age is not fully represented - museum holds many well preserved swords and other weapons from the Viking era, and also a lot of late medieval stuff. As far as I could see, almost all items were of western influence (until 15. - 16. century).
This is a photo from a museum; it shows a part of early medieval era section. There are a lot of replica casts of weapons and other items, simply glued to the wall painting of a warrior from the appropriate period. Very interesting.
Ok, links:
Archeology:
Prehistory: http://www.muzej.mod.gov.yu/preistorija,%20an...edmeti.htm
Antique: http://www.muzej.mod.gov.yu/preistorija,%20an...antika.htm
Middle ages: http://www.muzej.mod.gov.yu/preistorija,%20an...arivek.htm
Collection of west-European weapons from 16. - 19. century:
Cold weapons: http://www.muzej.mod.gov.yu/zapadno%20evropsk...hladno.htm
Fire weapons: http://www.muzej.mod.gov.yu/zapadno%20evropsk...atreno.htm
Protective equipment: http://www.muzej.mod.gov.yu/zapadno%20evropsk...oprema.htm
Unfortunately, page for Balkan and non-European weapons is being prepared.
If anyone needs a translation of any particular item, please ask!
Extant 15th Century German Gothic Armour
Extant 15th century Milanese armour
Arming doublet of the 15th century
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This is a standard topic
But this is getting off topic... 