sarmatian ring pommel swords

[Alanus]

Hailog, Brennivs

Thanks for the BM illustration of an early ring-pommeled sword. The BM gives us a date within the reign of Commodus. Coincidentally or not, this time period coincides shortly after his father sent 5,000 Iazyges into Britain. This artifact appears to be the Iazyge/Sauromatae-styled short sword I mentioned in a previous post. The blade seems to be close to 20 inches long (my conversion to cm is not handy) or maybe more, judging from a presumed 7-inch grip, indicating that it is not an akinakes ("quick-draw dagger") but akin to the swords mentioned by Janos Harmatta as found in pre-Roxolani-influenced graves upon the Hungarian Steppe. (Also see Tacitus).

Interesting that the pommel is tapered, either welded to the tang (as you note) or possibly it's the actual tang forge-bended counter-clockwise (in the illustration). Have you actually examined it? And look at the blade. It's not tapered, indicating a probable Sarmatian/Sauromatae origin as opposed to contemporaneous Alanic blades which appear to have a distal taper. This is all conjecture. And too, there are no signs of compound welding or folding of the blade. Perhaps further comment is not within the Roman army sphere and better discussed in private communication. Go to your in-box.

Da! iss prae-Russki!

A.J. Campbell/Alanus
Cohors I Pannonarium
Legio III Cyrenaica