This spring, in the German village of Andechs (Bavaria), two ancient swords were found during construction work. The weapons, together with ceramic dishes, of which only fragments remained, were part of the grave goods and were located at a shallow depth. Each sword was placed in a separate grave. As for ceramics, they buried it, having previously wrapped it in cloth. In total, six burials with various funerary items were counted in this place, among which were bronze ornaments.
Swords are a clear example of what the changes were during the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age period. Despite the fact that both artifacts are made entirely of iron, one of them has a shape characteristic of a bronze weapon. The length of the swords is 66 and 76 cm, the width is 6 cm. The shorter sword was used in hand-to-hand combat, and the long one could hold a fighter on horseback, bringing down a heavy blade on the enemy.
Employees of the Bavarian State Office for the Protection of Monuments have already worked on the artifacts. The restorers cleaned the metal to take a closer look at the finds. The blades are badly rusted, the hilts of both swords are missing, only traces of fastening on one of them have been preserved. The handle was probably attached to another blade with resin glue. Antiquities like these swords
can be found on Violity.
Photo © www.thehistoryblog.com
Photo © www.thehistoryblog.com
Photo © www.thehistoryblog.com
Photo © www.thehistoryblog.com