04-18-2009, 06:09 PM
"You're right- and I found myself wishing that the illustration of the sword was much bigger to look more at the detail. Not just the decoration- for example, were the rings on the pommel for decoration or to attach a thong of leather as a wrist loop?"
Hi Caballo,
The rings of the pommel were not for decoration but they could be have used to attach a thong of leather as a wrist loop, like it is visible on some specimens in Balkans and in Italy, and it is possible to see in the successive evolution of the sword in Byzantium, where a leather thong fashioned like a loop is clearly visible in many paintings. We cannot moreover exclude that this was also used as a further system of sword suspension.
Cheers
Raffaele
Hi Caballo,
The rings of the pommel were not for decoration but they could be have used to attach a thong of leather as a wrist loop, like it is visible on some specimens in Balkans and in Italy, and it is possible to see in the successive evolution of the sword in Byzantium, where a leather thong fashioned like a loop is clearly visible in many paintings. We cannot moreover exclude that this was also used as a further system of sword suspension.
Cheers
Raffaele
