Avar-Age Polearms and Edged Weapons. Classification, Typology, Chronology and Technology

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304 CHAPTER 5


New types of polearms appeared with this change: reed-shaped spearheads


with broad shoulder (P.I.D, fig. 29), spearheads of pentagonal blade (P.I.E, fig.


30) and reed-shaped spearheads with narrow blade of quadrangular cross sec-


tion (P.I.F, fig. 31–32). Significant changes also occurred in the form of len-


ticular spearheads. The use of narrow lenticular spearheads (P.III.B, fig. 47)


continued but the proportion of the blade and socket changed, and the blade


became longer. Narrow lenticular blade and its rhombic cross section (P.III.C,


figs. 48–49) is a characteristic feature of the period, and can be observed on


some spearheads of western origin and their local imitations (Pfullingen type:


P.III.C/2 and Egling type, P.III.C/3). Spearheads with long, narrow triangular


blade appeared, partly as hooked spears (‘Hakenlanze’: P.IV.A/1.e, fig. 52), and


likely under western influence. The openwork spears from Transylvania can be


regarded as a closed, local group (P.III.E/1.f, fig. 51/2–4). The conical spearhead


became more frequent during the Late phase (P.II).


As for edged weapons, the sabres with strongly curved blades became rarer,


while the sabres with slightly curved blades (E.III.A) became more common


and are characteristic of this period (fig. 76). The predominance of straight


single-edged swords, mostly with crossguards (E.II.A/2.a, fig. 70), is also char-


acteristic of the Late phase. Instead of broad seaxes with wide blade and cen-


trally placed tip, narrower and longer long seaxes were used. The sporadically


known double-edged swords of western origin (E.I.A/2.a, fig. 60) are extremely


rare in the Late Avar Carpathian Basin. Decoration of the hilt was not used


during this period but simple star-shaped crossguards (CG.5.c–f, fig. 93), and a


simple variant of short, narrow crossguard, were continuously applied (CG.4.d,


fig. 92/4). Semicircular suspension loops made of iron were used during


the first half of the Late phase, though their use ceased by the middle of the


8th century.


6 Late Avar II. (750–820?)


The male burials of the second half of the 8th century are characterised by cast


two-sided strap-ends with circular flat-tendril decoration and shield-shaped


belt-mounts of similar decoration, while the end of the Late phase is charac-


terised by the disappearance or incompleteness of belt-sets.13


13 This period is parallel with the SPA 3 phase of Leobersdorf (Daim 1987, Abb. 28) and the
5–6th phases at Tiszafüred (Garam 1995, 412–423).

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