Evidence Review: Single Edge Germanic Sword

 EVIDENCE REVIEW

I recently posted about my germanic single edged sword, and a few have asked for more info, so I will share the research here!

This sword, which I had made by Sims Forge,was based largely off examples I've found thanks to the research done by Peter Johnsson, the man behind the design of the Albion Cherusker. If you've never seen the Cherusker, it is a functional model of this sword produced around 2009 by Albion. Much of the credit for chasing down these sources is his!

The primary source for the shape is a find from Asby, Sweden. This grave find included a mangled but well-preserved sword with this C shaped tang, complete with the rear spur at the bottom and semi-enclosure in the front. It is so well-preserved that you can see the pin holes where the grip would be sandwiched. It is believed to be dated 25BC-25AD.

Very similar finds come to us from Vimose, dated to about 150AD, which contained swords with the same kind of blade, but a different tang shape. The alignment and shape in the spine of the tang is similar, but it lacks the spur and hand enclosures. We see the same style of construction in swords found at Bornholm, Sweden, dated to the 2nd-3rd century. This appears to be the more common style

Additionally, there is a find from Woerden of a sword hilt of this kind that is very ornate and decorated. The find is Roman in nature, and the dating is believed to be 1st-2nd century. Its location relative the shape of the hilt, while not confirmed, seem unmistakable.

There are other promising corroborating finds, such as Puntensen and Harsefeld, but sadly this information is scarce as it comes from early 20th century books that have been out of print longer than I've been alive. I'm hoping to secure a copy of Wolfgang Adler's 1993 overview of the germanic iron age weaponry, which details the information outlined in those earlier books. I have a attached a few of the drawings from these; I will update if I'm ever able to round up more.