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CHAPTER 3
Edged Weapons
Edged weapons are composed of a single- or double-edged long iron blade
ending in a tip at one end and a short wooden hilt at the other. Edged weapons
can be divided into single- and double-edged swords, sabres, seaxes and dag-
gers. Axes are not included in the present study as their cutting mechanism
differs from that of these long cutting edged weapon and therefore belongs to
a category of ‘hitting’ weapons.
The main attribute for the classification of edged weapons (E) is the form
and cross section of the blade, thus double-edged (E.I) and single-edged swords
(E.II) with straight blade, sabres (E.III) with curved blade and false edge, and
seaxes (E.IV) with a short and broad single-edged blade can be distinguished.
The length and form of the hilt, its decoration, the mounts of scabbard and its
suspensions are secondary attributes and classified distinctly.
704 edged weapons are known from the Avar-age Carpathian Basin (maps
24–26), most of which (582 examples, 82.67%) were suitable for classification.
The study of edged weapons, however, is limited by several factors: a consider-
able number of edged weapons were found in a fragmentary state (105 pieces,
14.9%) as a result of which the type of some examples cannot be identified
because the blade has not survived. In 24 cases only the suspension loops were
found, in two cases only the crossguard, while in nine cases (4.8%) only the
hilt cap survived. A further 36 examples (3.4%) from the catalogue of edged
weapons are lost (fifteen examples) and no other documentation (21) was
available.
There appears to have been some duplication of finds in reports where the
same edged weapon were mentioned under several site names, and therefore
cross-referencing of sites has been used in eight cases.1 Every Avar-age edged
1 The weapon from Baracs–Ágocs tanya is also known as Kunbaracs–Baracsi-puszta and
Csanád from the earlier literature (Nagy 1901b, 285; Hampel 1905. I. 196–197, 470–471. kép,
II. 628–629; Hampel 1907, 109–110; Csallány 1956, 109, No. 244: mentioned as Dunavecse–
Csanádfehéregyháza, though the site of the sabre was located to Baracs by Bóna 1982–83,
110–111). Later the same weapon was erroneously identified with the single-edged sword from
grave No. 125 of Jánoshida (Erdélyi 1958, 25, XLIV. t. 1; Garam 1991a, 148, III. táblázat, 149, 12.
kép), although the weapon from Jánoshida was lost. The two swords from Gyoma–Köröspart
(MNM 177/1895.720–721) in the Hungarian National Museum are probably the swords from
Gyoma–Torzsászug (MRT 8. 1989. 4/276). Two swords from Győr–Téglavető (XJM 53.278.