154 CHAPTER 3
swords, since most of the ring-pommels were manufactured from the same
piece of iron as the blade itself.5
As a result, four main form-groups of blade were identified: E.I: double-
edged swords, E.II: single-edged swords, E.III: sabres and E.IV: seaxes (fig. 9).
The presence of the crossguard is only examined within these blade categories.
These main form-groups also suggest a degree of chronological order, though it
can be applied only with some restriction.
1.1 Double-edged Swords (E.I)
Various weapons belong to the form-group of double-edged swords, the main
characteristics of which are the broad, symmetrical, double-edged blade,
which can be pattern-welded and equipped with a fuller, and these can be sub-
divided by the presence of a crossguard. 132 double-edged swords are known
from the Avar Age, most of which (122 examples, 92.4%) are dated to the Early
phase, while six such swords can be dated to the Late phase and two specimens
belong to the 9th or 10th century. Double-edged swords are therefore mainly
characteristic of the Early Avar period with only a few known from the 8th cen-
tury. Three blade types of double-edged swords can be distinguished by their
cross section and the form of the hilt: E.I.A: double-edged swords with fuller,
E.I.B: double-edged swords with lenticular cross section and E.I.C: double-
edged swords with ring-pommel (fig. 10).
1.1.1 E.I.A—Double-edged Swords with Broad Fuller (Spathae)
Double-edged swords with fuller (E.I.A) compose a significant group, with
59 examples (44.69%) out of 132 double-edged swords. Swords of such blade
form are also known as spathae which was the characteristic edged weapon of
Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages (Merovingian and
Carolingian periods), and therefore the spathae of the Avar Age can be regarded
as weapons of western origin, although this does not exclude the possibility
of their local manufacture. Two main sub-types can be distinguished based
on the absence and presence of the crossguard: examples dated to the Early
phase lack a crossguard (E.I.A/1.a: figs. 56–59), while the later spathae (8th–
9th centuries) are equipped with crossguard and pommel (E.I.A/2.a: fig. 60).
Most of the spathae are dated to the Early phase (55 examples, 93.22%), while
only five examples are dated to the Late phase or the Carolingian period,
5 An exception is the sword from Manđelos, which has the ring-pommel cast of copper alloy
and riveted to the hilt (Ercegović – Pavlović 1973–74, 108, fig. 1. I. t. 1, Pl. III/1–3).