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The tale of the sword – swords and swordfighters in Bronze Age Europe
Author(s) -
Kristiansen Kristian
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
oxford journal of archaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1468-0092
pISSN - 0262-5253
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0092.00166
Subject(s) - sword , bronze age , celtic languages , prehistory , blade (archaeology) , bronze , ancient history , archaeology , history , art , engineering , mechanical engineering
In this article it is demonstrated through empirical observation that Bronze Age swords were functional and efficient weapons. Their use in real combat is testified by recurring patterns of blade damage and resharpening. Furthermore, ritual depositions of swords with unrepaired scars on the blade demonstrate the prehistoric roots of the Celtic–Germanic–Greek ritual of sacrificing weapons after a victorious fight.