I just recieved my first replica of a roman sword. It is a longtime dream of mine to get a specifically crafted sword after an ancient found. The original piece is a gladius Mainz Fulham found in the legionary fortress of Vindonissa (Windisch, Switzerland) near my hometown. The speciality of this piece is its scabbard with its three large reliefs on the metal plate that covers the scubbards entire surface. The metal is tin-plated bronze. The wooden Handle is also crafted after a found from Vindonissa.
The outcome is outstanding in its acuracy. Every detail is correct. See the pictures.
(Could you add a name to your subscript, though please?)
Moi Watson
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
That is areal work of art!
Who is the craftsman?
I am curious as to the evidence of relief tinned/ untinned
Plates for scabbards!? I really love the look!
Also the guard plate, what finds are available for the Mainz type gladius?
Awesome craftsmanship!
Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus! * Me semper rogo, Quid faceret Iulius Caesar? * Confidence is a good thing! Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
Titus Flavius Germanus
Batavian Coh I
Byron Angel
Thank you for your kind words. The craftsman is the owner of the site replik-online.de. You can see examples of his work here: http://www.replik-online.de/de/index2.html
Evidence for tinned / untinned is given in part where the remains of the metal could be analyzed. The original is in a pretty good shape but rusty. I post a picture tomorrow.
The front of the scabbard consists in fact of three metal plates. A large one with the central relief and the leave garlands covers the hole length. The relief-plate on top with the captivated Gaul is wound around the scabbard and fixed on the back. The relief-plate at the bottom lies on top of the large plate and is fixed with the bronze metal strap above and the side branches that hold the entire scabbard in place. The back is red leather. The color was my wish.
The guard plates is from a find in the Roman camp in Dangstetten, Germany.
I post some pictures of the blade tomorrow.
Some historical data to the sword: the total length of the blade with handle is 698 mm. Without handle: 535 mm. The blade at its widest point (shoulder) measures 70 mm. That makes this gladius a rather typical type Mainz from the tiberian-claudian era (20-50 AC). Weight is 1148 g.
The sword and scabbard are believed to be made after the year 21 AC at or near Vindonissa. On the plate on top of the scabbard with the captivated gaul are two cutoff hands depicted. This is a single iconogrphy on a roman scabbard. Cutoff hands are interpreted as disloyality and a broken oath. This points to the big uprising of the gauls under Julius Sacrovir in the year 21 AC. The 13. Legion, that was based at Vindonissa from 17 AC to 46 AC, stroke down that uprising.
The burial of the gladius had taken place not bevor 50 AC, most likely in flavian times around 70 AC. That means the sword was used during a 40-50 year period most likely by several infanterists that served in the LEG XIII GEMINA, the LEG XXI RAPAX and probably also the LEG XI CPF that was based at Vindonissa in 70 AC. The gladius finally came under soil deliberately as a new baracks was constructed in the camp. The gladius and its cingulum were found in 1996.
Some additional pictures from the original at the museum at Brugg (CH) and from the replica, this time with the blade next to the scabbard.
Quote:Hi Michael, nice to meet you on RAT, too :-)
This Project has now ended with a very pleasing result, i think.
Indeed, XorX. What a pleasing surprise to find you here. :-D Again, thank you very much for your extraordinary forging skills. The blade looks and feels fantastic. It matches the scabbard beautifully. Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein erfolgreiches neues Jahr!
Merry Christmas and a happy new year for all the other comentators in this thread.
Byron, in answer to your question, numerous striker plates from Mainz type handles have been found, but very few for Pompeii type handles. I can only think of a single example, and that one may be from a spatha. Surviving Pompeii type guards from Vindonnissa are recessed, seemingly to accept striker plates, but in each case, the shoulders of the blade have worked their way into the wood, leaving clear marks which show that striker plates could not have been present.
Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers. :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:
Yeah, it's the Mainz ones I am concerned with. An expert recently told me none have been found, which is contrary to what I was led to believe previously.
Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus! * Me semper rogo, Quid faceret Iulius Caesar? * Confidence is a good thing! Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
Titus Flavius Germanus
Batavian Coh I
Byron Angel
For the guardplate I got two sheets with examples. See the .jpg attachment. I don't know if all of those are guardplates for the Mainz-type. But possiby so. Mr. König suggested No. 154.7 which I chose.
Do you know what period they were still included on the Mainz?
Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus! * Me semper rogo, Quid faceret Iulius Caesar? * Confidence is a good thing! Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
Titus Flavius Germanus
Batavian Coh I
Byron Angel
Well, during the flavian periode (69-96 AD) the type Mainz gladii are less and less used. It's the type Pompei that takes over. But type Mainz swords are still in use until the early 2. century AD. So I suppose the same applies to the striker plates.
