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

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344 CHAPTER 6


an addition to formal attributes in the classification of these weapons. He also


made the important observation that broad seaxes (‘Breitsax’) do not occur in


Saxonia.286 This northern area remained important for the seax studies, and


Jörg Kleemann attempted to refine the chronology of long seaxes (‘Langsaxe’)


in this region.287 Besides broad and long seaxes a new transitional type was


identified by Susanne Buchta-Hohm.288


The newest classification for the seaxes was by Jo Wernard, who distin-


guished four main types (‘Schmalsax’, ‘Kurzsax’, ‘Breitsax’ and ‘Langsax’) which


were arranged typologically, his primary observation being the sudden change


between the broad seax and long seax.289


The Carolingian cemeteries of northern Bavaria were studied by Ralph Pöllath,


and chronological examination was also of relevance for Avar archaeology.290


Research on these seaxes started somewhat later in the Carpathian Basin.


Seaxes in Avar cemeteries were first identified by Ján Eisner,291 and Attila Kiss


described seaxes from Avar cemeteries in his unpublished MA thesis, where


he linked their appearance to a Carolingian weapon trade.292 Research on this


weapon type has mainly been limited to the northern and western periphery of


that area occupied by the Avar Qaganate, partly because the main distribution


of these weapons overlaps in this area. The first summary of these seaxes was


by Jozef Zábojník, in his survey of weapons of western origin in Avar burials.293


Long knives found in Avar burials in the Carpathian Basin were also studied


286 The monograph of Herbert Westphal (1991, 272) offered metallographical analyses of
seaxes from Saxonia. His observation on the lack of broad seaxes (‘Breitsax’) questioned
the universal character of the development of seax blades.
287 Jört Kleemann (2002, 107–109) distinguished long seaxes with central tip (1st type) and
those with tip at the edge (2nd type), and according to his view the 1st type is earlier than
the 2nd.
288 Buchta-Hohm termed these atypical long seaxes a transitional type. According to her dat-
ing these weapons are earlier than the long seaxes. (Buchta-Hohm 1996, 37).
289 Wernard (1998, 769–782) followed the metric school, his main attributes being the blade
length and blade width.
290 Pöllath (2002, 168–170) distinguished four main groups based on the form of the blade.
He followed Jörg Kleemann in his classification. On chronological issues: Pöllath 2002,
174–193.
291 Eisner 1932, 553–559.
292 Kiss listed 12 examples. He regarded the appearance of seaxes as a Late Avar phenomenon
in the 8th century. He observed their distribution in the western part of the Carpathian
Basin. (Kiss 1962, 90–92).
293 Zábojník 1978, 193–195.

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