Origins And Cultural Contacts 315
1.3 Ring-pommel Swords
Ring-pommel swords are known not only from the Avar-age Carpathian Basin
but were also already in use in the Early Roman Imperial period (1st–2nd c. AD)
among Germanic and Sarmatian tribes up until the Marcomannic wars (166–
180 AD). These ring-pommel swords were the characteristic edged weapons of
the Sarmatian period on the Eastern European steppes.58
The theory of a Far Eastern origin for ring-pommel swords first appeared in
a study by Csanád Bálint on Sassanian swords,59 and was later elaborated on by
István Bóna who supposed that ring-pommel swords were used as a result of an
ancient Asian tradition already established by the time of the first generation
of Avars in the Carpathian Basin.60 This interpretation became the theoretical
basis of the twofold origin (Central and Inner Asian) of the Avar heritage.61 This
theory was followed by László Simon who refuted Csallány’s chronology based
on this supposed Asian origin of ring-pommel swords. Simon drew attention
to the significance of the sword of Manđelos, the ring-pommel of which was
cast of copper alloy, a common feature with Far Eastern swords.62 However,
the difficulty of using Far Eastern swords as an analogy for similar swords from
the Carpathian Basin was argued by Csanád Bálint who drew attention to the
absence of ring-pommel swords in Central and Inner Asia,63 however it can be
the result of the different burial rite in the former area.
Ring-pommel swords were used in Inner Asia and South Siberia from the
first half of the first millenium. Single-edged ring-pommel swords were a char-
acteristic weapon of the Kokel’ culture,64 the Tashtyk culture of the Minusinsk
Basin65 and Berel’ culture of the Gorno-Altay (single-edged ring-pommel
sword with crossguard), all of which date to the 2nd–5th century.66 These cul-
tures are contemporanous with the Eastern European Sarmatian period, and
therefore are unsuitable analogies for the Avar swords of the 7th century.
(Komar – Kubyshev – Orlov 2006, 371–373), while Rasho Rashev (2007, 195) correctly
dated it from late 6th and to early 7th century.
58 Khazanov 1971, 5–14.
59 Bálint 1978, 206.
60 Bóna 1980, 51.
61 Bóna 1984a, 310–311.
62 Simon 1991, 273.
63 Bálint supposed a Byzantine origin for these swords (Bálint 1993, 219; Bálint 1995, 269–271).
64 Khara-Dag-Bazhi 1st grave, Shurmak-tej 1st kurgan, Kokel’ kurgans No. 11, 12 and 32
(Khudiakov 1986, 79–80. ris. 31/1).
65 Khudiakov 1986, 101–102, Ris. 40/3.
66 Sorokin 1969, t. X. s. 234; Khudiakov 1986, 131, Ris. 59/1.