222 CHAPTER 3
seaxes are often buried together with spathae as a secondary weapon,189 this
association being well documented in Merovingian cemeteries.190
Anthropological data are only available for the Környe cemetery, accord-
ing to which these weapons were either used by adult men as a secondary
weapon,191 or by adolescent or juvenile boys.192 More recent studies suggest
that such weapons were used by boys before attaining full social age and thus
the right of using a spatha.193 A similar phenomenon is also supposed in the
case of the Early Avar cemeteries in Transdanubia regarding their Merovingian
contacts.
All short seaxes are dated to the first half of the Early phase, their role being
substituted by narrow seaxes and light broad seaxes.
1.4.1.2 Narrow Seax (‘Schmalsax’, E.IV.B)
Narrow seaxes (Schmalsaxe) are edged weapons with a blade 30–40 cm long,
and the tip is located on the back of the blade (type ‘c’). The metric border
between the short and narrow seax has been variously determined by different
researchers but being largely within the same narrow range.194 In what follows,
knives of 30–40 cm blade length will be classified as being of this type, the
blade width of which is narrower than 3.5 cm (map 37, fig. 83).195
189 Kölked–Feketekapu A grave No. 39 (Kiss 1996, 29, 228, Taf. 26/19); Környe grave No. 66 and
97 (Salamon – Erdélyi 1971, 20, Taf. 9/19–21, 23).
190 For the Merovingian deposition of spatha with short seax, see: Steuer 1970, 359; Wernard
1998, 774–775. For its Scandinavian examples: Jørgensen 1999, 46. In Gepidic cemeteries:
Hódmezővásárhely–Kishomok grave No. 1 (Bóna–Nagy 2002, 41–42); Hódmezővásárhely–
Kishomok grave No. 7 (Bóna–Nagy 2002, 43–44); Hódmezővásárhely–Kishomok grave No.
64 (Bóna–Nagy 2002, 59–61); Szentes–Nagyhegy grave No. 8 (Csallány 1961, 46); Szolnok–
Szanda grave No. 195 (Bóna – Nagy 2002, 230); Szőreg–Téglagyár grave No. 68 (Nagy 2005,
131). I am indebted to Attila Kiss for the information on Gepidic cemeteries.
191 Környe grave No. 66 and 97 (Salamon–Erdélyi 1971, 20, Taf. 9/ 19–21; 23).
192 Környe grave No. 18 (Salamon–Erdélyi 1971, 15).
193 For age groups in Merovingian weapon burials: Brather 2004b, 30.
194 Narrow seaxes were defined by Kurt Böhner (1958, 136) as having a blade length between
26 and 48 cm and with a blade width between 2.4 and 3.4 cm. Ursula Koch (1977, 106)
established a metric determination of 29–36 cm blade length and 3 cm blade width.
Different values are used in Scandinavia by Anne Nørgård Jørgensen (1999, 50): she
defined narrow seax (‘Schmalsax’) (SAX1) with a blade length of 27 to 52 cm, and a blade
width between 2.2 and 3.6 cm.
195 Ártánd–Kapitány-dűlő grave No. 136 (Kralovánszky 1996, 52. 14. kép); Budapest XIV. Zugló,
Népstadion grave No. 5 (Nagy 1998, 109, II. Taf. 84B/2); Dormánd–Hanyipuszta, stray find
(Szabó 1966, 50. XIV. t. 7); Győr–Téglavető-dűlő grave No. 867 (XJM 53.278.1102); Jászapáti–
Nagyállás út grave No. 410 (Madaras 1994, 96, Taf. L/6); Kisköre–Halastó grave No. 23