German vs English Gladius terms

[L. Aufidius Pantera]

Hello all, and sorry to pester...am stuck in the middle of translating a German article on swords and scabbards and have no decent library around me. So out goes the call for all you wise people to help me!

What on earth is a Schwertriemenbuegel in English? As in those things that are used from the early 2nd century onwards to loop leather supporting straps through?

And, please don't tell me they are slides. For if they *are* slides, then what on earth are Mundbleche?

Thanks v much for all your help!
C.

[hansvl]

Well this is something for our German friends on RAT, but if I'm correct the Schwertriemenbuegel is the suspension band with the rings for the swordbelt and the Mundbleche is the highly decorated upper part of the scabbard which usually is a seperate piece from the rest of the scabbard.

Greets,

Hans

[L. Aufidius Pantera]

Yep...

The 'Mundblech' is the bit that sits on top of the scabbard (around the throat) on Mainz and Pompeii type scabbards. The 'Schwertriemenbuegel' is a thing attached to the side of the scabbard to loop a leather belt or strap through.

Now...any arch. dictionary tells me that the 'Mundblech' is a 'scabbard-slide', but from illustrations it looks like a scabbard-slide is actually referred to as a 'Schwertriemenbuegel' in German. Which leaves me confused and lost as to what on earth I should call a 'Mundblech' in english...

Do I make sense? I've lost myself... :evil:
C.

[hansvl]

Perhaps you can call Mundbleche the upper locket plate or the mouth locket.

Just trying to help.

Hans

[L. Aufidius Pantera]

And any help is much appreciated :-) ) ) Thank you!

have so far gone with mounts - do you think locket will be clearer? am not very good with swords, unfortunately... basically, what I need is the official english term for this:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image ... _Mainz.jpg

(sorry, again, for being such a pest)
C.

[martijn.wijnhoven]

I think this is called locket in English; and the other one probably a scabbard slide.

Good luck,

Martijn

[hansvl]

As Martijn said: locket is used in English. 'Locket' and 'Locket plate' are used in B&C's RME (second edition), p. 82

Hans

[L. Aufidius Pantera]

Thank you! Geniuses! (Genii?)

[Crispvs]

To complete the list, in addition to the locket (mentioned above), the two bands which run horizontally accross the scabbard to secure the rings are called 'cross hangers' in English. The rings themselves (for attachment to the sword belt or baldric) are known as 'suspension rings'. The piece at the bottom of the scabbard is known as the 'chape'. The pieces attached to scabbards from the second century onwards for the baldric strap to pass through are indeed called 'slides' in English and can be either metal or bone.

Crispvs

[Peroni]

The pieces attached to scabbards from the second century onwards for the baldric strap to pass through are indeed called 'slides' in English and can be either metal or bone.

I've also heard these called scabbard 'runners' as well.

[L. Aufidius Pantera]

Thank you all for your comments! Was sitting at home doing a translation with no access to Bishop & Coulston to look at pretty pictures and work out what things are called...

On a different note, does anybody else think it might be a good idea to put together a sort of 'dictionary' of military equipment (or brooches, or ... the list is endless). Or has that been done? I think it would really help people, you could have it in whatever main languages, and sort it along a table... i.e.

Artefact - English - French - German - Italian - Klingon - Spanish - Uzbek

Pic. - locket - ?????? - Mundblech ????? - ????? - ?????? - ?????

(languages in alphabetical order and obviously random so as not to offend anybody...)

Just a thought. And if it's been done, do let me know where! :-) )
C.