192 CHAPTER 3
Simon who first described its transitional character as a proto-sabre,117 whilst
its significance to the broader history of the Steppes was recognised by Csanád
Bálint.118
The edged weapons of this type are evenly distributed and can be found
throughout the Carpathian Basin. The appearance of the false edge during the
Early phase is of considerable significance, since it emphasises the continuity
between the Early and Middle Avar periods. These weapons cannot be treated
as mere predecessors of sabres, since this type was contemporary with edged
weapons of curved blade, and therefore weapons of type E.II.C should be con-
sidered a transitional type towards sabres, and their use ended as a typological
dead end in the history of Avar-age edged weapons.
1.3 Sabres (E.III)
1.3.1 History of Classification
Sabres were studied in detail from the beginnings of archaeological research
both in Hungary and Eastern Europe. In what follows, only the history of
research of classification of the sabres from the Carpathian Basin will be dis-
cussed, while the Russian history of research as well as the research on the
origins of sabres will be presented in chapter VI.1.
József Hampel was the first who described these weapons in detail, in par-
ticular measuring the curvature of the blade.119 However, some minor confu-
sion resulted when he confused the sabre from the Ozora–Tótipuszta burial,
which was dated to the second half of the 7th century, with that from the
Szolyva grave which dates to the 10th century. Despite the chronological gap,
he also suggested its similarity of the example from Ozora to the sabres from
Kiskassa and Kecskemét.120 He distinguished straight and curved ‘sabres’
though used the same name to describe them, since the Hungarian language of
the 19th century did not distinguish single-edge swords from sabres.121 He also
117 László Simon (1991, 270; Simon 1993a, 171–192) classfied the formal attributes of the sabre
(false edge and curved blade), which relate to his Vth group.
118 Bálint considered this problem in respect of the burial of Üch tepe from Azerbaijan,
which contained a sword with a false edge, as well as identifing false edges on several
other early Avar swords and interpreted them as sabres, treating the false edge as the
main attribute of these sabres (Bálint 1992, 338–343; Bálint 1995a, 64–73).
119 It was measured as representing the distance along the back of the blade, formed by a
straight line between the tip and stem of the blade.
120 According to his view this weapon was the first stage in the edged weapons of the 8th
century. (Hampel 1897, 45–48).
121 Straight blade: Szolyva (= Ozora-Tótipuszta), Csanád (= Baracs) and Nagymányok.
(Hampel 1905, 195–196).