238 CHAPTER 3
In a number of cases the upper end of the hilt was covered by a cap made of
a metal sheet. Hilt caps are usually made of copper alloy or silver sheets, the
shape of the base is oval with a vertical rim. These caps are usually fixed by
two rivets to the wood of the hilt (fig. 87). Most of the hilt caps are dated to
the Middle phase (13 examples) but they had already appeared during the sec-
ond half of the Early phase (six examples) and remained in use until the first
half of the Late phase (five examples). Hilt caps mainly occur on the hilt-ends
of sabres (nine pieces) but are also commonly used on single-edged swords
(seven examples). Only two double-edged swords with hilt caps are known260
which are probably as a result of their chronological position.
Oval hilt caps could also be made of gold261 which usually occured together
with star-shaped crossguards covered with gold-foil, and date to the Middle
phase. Silver hilt caps appeared at the end of the Early phase but only became
common during the Middle and Late phase.262 Oval copper alloy hilt caps are
260 Kiszombor O grave No. 2 (Csallány 1939, 125–126, I. t. 1–1a, 2. kép 1; Csallány 1972, 23; Simon
1991, 295, 16. kép 5; Garam 1992, 142, Taf. 35–36); Visznek–Kecskehegy grave No. 68 (Török
1975a, 334, 341, 343, fig. 6/1, 16; Simon 1991, 311, 16. kép 9).
261 Igar–Vámszőlőhegy, Petőfi u. 56. grave No. ‘III’ (Marosi 1931, 6–7; Fülöp 1987, 17, 8. ábra;
Fülöp 1988, 167–168, Abb. 14); Ozora–Tótipuszta grave No. 1 (Wosinsky 1896, 1000–1008,
Taf. 252–254; Hampel 1897. II. LV–LVII. táblák; Hampel 1905 III. Taf. 268; Bóna 1982–83,
104–109; Garam 1992, 145–146. Taf. 61. Taf. 62/8).
262 Budapest X. Rákos, Ejtőernyőstorony grave No. 19 (Nagy 1998, I. 71–72, II. Taf. 60); Budapest
XIV. Zugló, Tihanyi tér 6. (László 1941, 106–108, 109–112, Taf. IX–XII; Nagy 1998, I. 116, II. Taf.
91/11–15); Gátér–Vasútállomás grave No. 212 (Kada 1906, 215, 218. c. rajz; Fettich 1926a, 8,
10, X. t. 27; Simon 1991, 292, 16. kép 20); Győr–Téglavető-dűlő grave No. 755 (Börzsönyi
Figure 87 Hilt caps: 1. Gyenesdiás–Algyenes, Bartók Béla és Hámán Kató utca, grave
No. 64 (Müller 1989, Abb. 2, 143–147, Abb. 3–5.); 2. Ozora–Tótipuszta, grave No. 1
(Wosinsky 1896, 1000–1008, Taf. 252–254; Hampel 1897. II. LV–LVII. táblák; Hampel
1905 III. Taf. 268; Bóna 1982–83, 104–109; Garam 1992, 145–146. Taf. 61, Taf. 62/8.);- Košice–Šebastovce, grave No. 94 (Budinský-Krička – Točík 1984, 174, Obr. 1.;
Obr. 4–5; Budinský-Krička – Točík 1991, 25–26, Taf. XII/7.).