Sarmatian origins of the spatha?

[Dan D'Silva]

Razvan,

In terms of construction and time periods, I think there is less to speak for the Naue II as an ancestor of the spatha than for either the La Tene or Sarmatian long swords, as all except the Naue II use through-tang construction, and are closer in time.

Now I'm going on secondhand data here, but I've read that the slab-tanged Hallstatt swords which might have derived from the Naue II disappeared late in the period, and only the through-tanged dagger survived. This dagger is supposed to be the ancestor of the La Tene long sword, and clearly is ancestral to the La Tene anthropomorphic dagger. I think the Hallstatt dagger's most likely ancestor in turn is the Urnfield antennae sword, which shared its hilt construction and aspects of hilt and blade shape.

The Sarmatian sword I'd suppose evolved from the akinakes, which I believe was also a through-tang sword (though its hilt is more usually solid metal).