342 CHAPTER 6
earlier than the 9th century.269 This sword is later than the so-called Schlingen
type, which is characterised by a small rectangular pommel on a flat pommel-
plate (‘Knaufplatte’). This pommel can be compared to the Niederrahmstadt –
Dettingen – Schwabmühlhausen type of Stein,270 although this attribution is
not certain because of the lack of detailed drawings. The sword belongs to the
1st combination type of Alfred Geibig according to its hilt fittings (pommel
and crossguard), which is dated by the Pfullingen type spearheads to the first
half of the 8th century, although a later date (second half of the 8th century)
is equally possible.271
3.2.2.2 Seaxes
The relative popularity of broad and long seaxes was due to their single-
edged blade and their functional similarity to single-edged swords, and there-
fore their use did not differ much from general Avar close combat weapons.
Artefacts of western origin are concentrated on the northwestern periphery of
the Avar Qaganate, but such finds can also be found in the western part of the
Carpathian Basin, such as in the Zala valley.
3.3 Questions in the Research on Seaxes
Seaxes are single-edged short-bladed weapons. Their origins are not yet clear,
though long war knifes or narrow seaxes (‘Schmalsaxe’ in German) of the Hun
period or early long seaxes (‘Langsaxe’) could have played a significant role in
their development.272 Joachim Werner regarded the long seaxes (Langsaxe) of
the Hun period as the predecessors of sabres, and he connected the Western
and Central European appearance of seaxes with the Hun migration,273 estab-
lishing the general view of an eastern origin for these seaxes.274
The classification of seaxes is basically a metric one. Their first classification
was made by Ludwig Lindenschmidt who distinguished types based on met-
ric differences, though he infered these were contemporary, their differences
being functional instead.275 The chronological significance of the different
269 Petersen 1919.
270 Stein 1967, 9.
271 Geibig 1991, 25–31. Abb. 2, 140.
272 These weapons were already regarded as the first stage in the evolution of seaxes by
András Alföldi (1932, 26) and Gjessing (1934, 69).
273 Werner 1956, 43.
274 Olsen 1946; Anke 1998, 93–99.
275 Lindenschmidt (1880, 204) distinguished seaxes (short throwing knives), long seaxes
(long edged-weapons for thrusting and cutting) and scramasaxes (edged-weapons with
wide blade).