Dacian Swords (Other than the Falx)

[Paullus Scipio]

I did find a single line in Feugere that claimed that a J. Werner had evidence that the ring pommel swords were initially used by the Sarmatians. That's all I could dig up!

Guys, please refer to my earlier post on Oct 2nd...... both short and long 'ring-pommel' swords first appear among the Sarmatians - specifically the 'Rox-Alani' ( Western Alans) who take over the areas East of, and including the Crimea around the 2nd C BC, while the Bastarnae establish themselves west of the Crimea. ( These upheavals to the East are caused by the eruption of the Huns from central Kazakhstan). This period is often known as the 'middle Sarmatian', and in noble graves one of the characteristics is the gradual replacement long swords with a typical spherical pommel of Chalcedony or glass by short swords and daggers with ring pommels. By the 1st C BC long, narrow swords have joined the short, pointed, double edged 'gladius' ring pommel swords.

By the 2nd C BC , the Galatians ( a Celtic people) who crossed the Carpathian mountains in 280 BC have settled in the lands around the Dniester and Pruth, and also the delta of the Danube by 240 BC. They have intermingled freely with local indigenous Getae, and Scythians and Sarmatians and become known as 'Bastarnae' ( Trogus Pompeius refers to them as such). They expanded to the Dnieper and thus prevented further expansion West by the Rox-Alani. Their Celtic influence in the form of 'La Tene' style weapons and brooches reaches East of the Dnieper and as far as the Volga......