Scabbard question

fearn · 14th March 2012, 12:57 AM

Hi Atlantia,

Here are some pics. The hilt is from Neil, and admittedly a bit speculative.

That said, I've learned something about the difference between bronze swords and steel swords by handling this piece. as you can see from the picture, the mushroom hilt presses into the hand, and you simply can't lunge with this sword, no matter how much it looks like a thrusting design.

Instead, it's primarily a slashing sword. The thing I realized is that bronze is softer than steel. Because of this, it will collect dings faster than steel, and it's quite useful to have a second sharp edge. The hilt is square in cross section, with rounded edges where the blade is. It's quite easy to spin the blade 180 degrees without looking at it (because you can feel where the blade is, due to those bronze edges on the hilt), and that mushroom pommel keeps it in your hand while it's rotating. If one edge gets dull, you can easily flip the sword by feel and use the other edge.

Neat piece. It's a design from c.1200 BCE, and the original is in the British Museum, I believe.

Best,

F

14th March 2012, 12:57 AM	#5
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Hi Atlantia, Here are some pics. The hilt is from Neil, and admittedly a bit speculative. That said, I've learned something about the difference between bronze swords and steel swords by handling this piece. as you can see from the picture, the mushroom hilt presses into the hand, and you simply can't lunge with this sword, no matter how much it looks like a thrusting design. Instead, it's primarily a slashing sword. The thing I realized is that bronze is softer than steel. Because of this, it will collect dings faster than steel, and it's quite useful to have a second sharp edge. The hilt is square in cross section, with rounded edges where the blade is. It's quite easy to spin the blade 180 degrees without looking at it (because you can feel where the blade is, due to those bronze edges on the hilt), and that mushroom pommel keeps it in your hand while it's rotating. If one edge gets dull, you can easily flip the sword by feel and use the other edge. Neat piece. It's a design from c.1200 BCE, and the original is in the British Museum, I believe. Best, F Attached Images