Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[dashydog]

everyone at this time, and we should never judge a spear/hasta/pilum by its length on a carved stone or graffitio. There's never enough room to show true length.

Now..THats a point. I do think a lot of illustrations etc show lances and similar as being far shorter than they were in truth..as you say..for lack of space. But, I have some illustrations where the lance really is very long indeed. Now, I think that is deliberate and designed to make a big point for the record.



Check out the side scrolling-- full of gryphons, once a mythical steppe animal only. Things get around, don't they. :lol:

Gryfons are a strange auld tale. "Far and distant places" always seem to be guarded by horrible monsters in human mythology. It comes with the territoire it seems. But Gryfons always make me think that some copper age witch doctor was involved with "magic dress up" ceremonies or something.... The steppe peoples seem to have had much in common with the ancient Amereican indians who, I think, were into this sort of thing. Roerich the Russian artist and academic seems to have been well versed in such things, though I cant recall his exact musings on it all.

AZnyway. That aside, what do you know about Gwerman sword makeres of the mid saxon period and the metalwork from North Tronderlag?? I am working on a premise that Roman armaments trades fell apart after 450 AD and with it the the Celto Brito industries in such things...leaving things open for well armed Saxons to take over because they had a monopoly on the UK arms game.