"The Medieval Sword" Topic

"The medieval weapon par excellence. Iron made a significant difference, producing a thinner and more flexible weapon. The Roman sword was short and stout, primarily for thrusting. Its development probably came via the Greeks and Etruscans. Iron swords were found at La Tene on Lake Neuchatel. Styria was an important centre of manufacture. Early users were the Celts who developed the pattern-welded blade with strips of iron twisted together cold and then forged; twisted again and re-forged to the edges. The blade was then filed and burnished, leaving a pattern from the now smooth surface of twisted metal. Unlike bronze, iron was worked by forging rather than casting. Iron made possible a different structure for the sword, with a tang from the blade over which the handle could be slotted. Iron had advantages but a longer iron sword would bend and buckle if used for thrusting. Early European swords were long with cutting edges. When used by charioteers they needed length, best used with a cutting action. Much the same is true of cavalry swords. Swords from the first four centuries BC came from bog deposits in Scandinavia. Those at Nydam had pattern welded blades, about 30 inches long and mostly sharpened on both edges. A sword at Janusowice from the time of the Battle of Adrianople had a long blade and evidence of a leather scabbard. It had a large bronze, mushroom-shaped pommel. The sword at Sutton Hoo, old when buried, had a pommel decorated with gold and red garnets. It had rusted inside its scabbard, but X-rays showed it was pattern welded. The scabbard was of wood and leather…."

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Amicalement
Armand

It wold have been a better article if the author had bothered to read all of the author's works that he claims to have been basing his article on.

For starters pattern welded blades were around long before the 'Celts', examples coming from Luristan, along with early 'wootz' or ultra high carbon steel. (Oakeshott, Flax)

Then the bars of pattern welded swords were not made by cold twisting bits of iron together like the author claims, the bars were forge (fusion) welded up from layered billets, then hot twisted, reshaped and the twist bars were again forge welded together into the sword shape with plain edges. Been there, done that a few times.

Thanks for the clarification….

Amicalement
Armand