A multidisciplinary overview of current research into the enduringly
fascinating martial artefact which is the sword.
The sword is the most iconic of all weapons. Throughout history, it has
connected various, sometimes conflicting, dimensions of human culture:
physical combat and representation of political power, definition of
gender roles and refinement of body techniques, evolution of
craftsmanship and mythological symbolism.
The articles collected here explore these dimensions, from a variety of
disciplines, among them archaeology, medieval history, museum
conservation, and linguistics. They cover topics from the production and
combat use of Bronze Age swords via medieval fencing culture to the
employment of the sword in modern military. They question traditional
sword typologies and wide-spread theories about sword making, discuss
medieval sword terminology and the use of swords as royal insignia, and
describe the scientific methods for approaching original finds. Arising
from an international conference held at Deutsches Klingenmuseum
Solingen (the German Blade Museum), the volume provides fresh insights
into the forms the sword can take, and the thoughts it inspires.
LISA DEUTSCHER and MIRJAM E. KAISER work in prehistoric archaeology,
specialising in La Tène and Bronze Age swords, respectively. SIXT
WETZLER is the deputy director of the German Blade Museum; his research
focuses on the history of edged weapons, and their use.
Contributors: Matthias Johannes Bauer, Holger Becker, Jan-Heinrich
Bunnefeld, Rachel J. Crellin, Vincenzo D'Ercole, Andrea Dolfini, Raphael
Hermann, Daniel Jaquet, Robert W. Jones, Ulrich Lehmann, Claus Lipka,
Stefan Maeder, Michael Mattner, Florian Messner, Nicole Mölk, Ingo
Petri, Stefan Roth, Fabrizio Savi, Ulrike Töchterle, Iason-Eleftherios
Tzouriadis, Marion Uckelmann, Henry Yallop
