Origins And Cultural Contacts 343
sizes of seaxes was first recognised by Edmund Brenner.276 Hermann Stoll first
emphasised the development of these seax blades, suggesting a late date on the
basis of the Hailfingen cemetery.277 The recently devised terminology of seax
types, such as narrow (Schmalsax), wide (Breitsax) and long seax (Langsax),
was suggested by Kurt Böhner.278 Neuffer-Müller introduced a new type, the
short seaxes (Kurzsax) a few years later.279
This metric approach was also widely used to define smaller distinctions,
like the type of wide seaxes (‘Breitsax’ in German) which were later subdivided
into an earlier light variant and a later heavy variant by Ursula Koch.280 This
subdivision was also verified by an analysis of the horizontal stratigraphical of
the Rübenach cemetery.281 The classification and chronology of these seaxes
was elaborated on by Rainer Christlein in the study of the Marktoberdorf
cemetery, and in respect of their dating used the length of the blade and
the chronology of the associated belt-sets.282
An important stage in their research was the work by Frauke Stein on 8th
century ‘nobility graves’ (‘Adelsgräber’ in German), as it made possibile the
comparison of the Late Avar and Late Merovingian—Early Carolingian weap-
ons. This material was especially important for Avar archaeology from a chron-
ological point of view.283
These metric studies played a significant role in the research on seax blades,
wherein a general tendency from short and narrow blades to long and wide
blades was observed.284 This metric approach was most radically applied by
Wolfgang Hübener who ascribed chronological relevance to differences of
mere millimeters.285 However, it is obvious that such even development can-
not be attributed to seax blades.
New research perspectives on these seaxes were contributed by Herbert
Westphal who used attributes of forging techniques (like pattern welding) as
276 Brenner 1912, 290.
277 Stoll 1939.
278 Böhner 1958, 130, 135.
279 Neuffer-Müller 1966, 28.
280 Ursula Koch (1968, 84) made this division based on the weapons found near the Bavarian
Danube-valley.
281 Ament 1973, 138. Taf. 60,2.
282 Christlein 1966, 30.
283 Stein 1967, 12–16.
284 Giesler 1983, 528.
285 According to his view the absolute chronology of a seax can be identified on the basis
of its blade length, wherein he supposed an increase of 2.13 cm for every decade, which
would mean 2.13 mm increase every year (Hübener 1988, 228).