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

(Nandana) #1

Edged Weapons 259


oval in plan (map 47). This crossguard type is typical for the 5th combination


type of Alfred Geibig396 which is dated to the second half of the 8th century.397


The long, straight and narrow crossguard of Petersen’s X type sword, found


as a stray find in the Brodski Drenovac cemetery,398 is clearly different from


the above-mentioned example. This sword is clearly dated to the 10th century


therefore this stray find probably did not belong to the cemetery from the 8th


century.399


2.3 Decoration of the Scabbard


Scabbards are usually decorated with gold, silver or copper alloy coverings


made of thin metal sheets. These coverings are often framed by bands of pearl-


row or ribbed decoration (Fig. 96/1–2). Such coverings were located about the


locket and chape, and on the lower suspension loop.


396 5. Parierstangenaufsicht (Geibig 1991, 37).
397 Geibig 1991, 151, Abb. 39.
398 Vinski-Gasparini – Ercegović 1958, 144–145, 157. Tabl. XV/8.
399 The spatha of Brodsky Drenovac of X type has just such a crossguard, and is dated to
the 10th century. This sword is of the II variant of the 12th combination type of Geibig
(1991, 151).


Figure 95 Crossguards of type CG.7: 1. Čierny Brod I. – Homokdomb, grave No. 2 (Čilinská –
Točik 1978, 46; Točík 1992, 9–12, Obr. 7; Zábojník 1995, No. 19.); 2. Garabonc I. Grave
No. 55 (Szőke 1992a, 504, Taf. 20.).

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