Hod Hill sword

[jvrjenivs]

I'm not talking about the scabbard, I meant to say the hilt components...guard, pommel, grip. Sorry, should have specified. 8)

As Jef also posted, this handle seems 'fashion' or 'decorative' to us, but this is probably also because our view is focussed (although that isn't quite the right term I'm searching for) by the range of Deepeeka stuff. Everything we examine we compare to our modern 'window of knowledge'. This wouldn't say anything on how the Romans would have looked at it. As we discussed somewhere else already, value was probably a lot more a matter of the materials used then of the time the craftman would spend on it.

In this case, on first sight, it's a special decorated handle (that is, we didn't see such a piece in re-enactment before, so that's make it special). When we look better (as Jef also posted) we see an handle which is build of different parts made of different materials (but overall good available stuff). So would it realy be 'to good to be a combat sword'. (compare this sword for instance with the late la tene swords from the lower Rhine delta, as it has won a hasta pura award lately) We're getting again to the parade gear discussion, which we doesn't have to repeat here, but the Roman soldiers AND auxilia liked 'highly decorated stuff' much, surely in republican period and early imperial.