Bone sword handles

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

And one of the guards with the bone lied horizontally is showed in one photo at LEGIO XX (USA) WEB:



That's from the British Museum.

[Martin Moser]

Hi Crispus,

got the book from the library yesterday (I found that part A is nothing more than a better introduction - that's why I didn't copy it :-P P ) and it seems that there is no more information available on the parts you were asking about. As they reportedly came from waste heaps (Schutthügel) all attempts at explaining them w/o proper material for comparison can only be guesswork I think. Sorry I cannot be of any help here, maybe somebody else knows more on this?

[Crispvs]

Thanks anyway Martin.

Lucius,

Thanks for the link to the Mainz sword. Do you know if the 'button' on top of the pommel is weathered bone (which seems unlikely given the state of preservation of the rest of the handle) or a copper-alloy ferrule for the sword tang to be rivetted over?

On the sword in the British Museum, do you know if the handle parts were found together (if so why the differing colour of the elements?) or assembled by the museum from parts found in different locations?

Crispvs

[adamparsons]

The parts were all found seperately and assembled by the museum. It is part of a display of a "roman soldier" from artefacts- so different bits of belts, blades, scabbards, segmentata hooks etc have been combined to create one individual.

I'm not sure where about these bits are from, but they don't all belong together.

Sorry I can't be more help

adam

[Crispvs]

Martin,

Back to to the Vindonissa catalogue, one of the guards is listed as 'Elfenbein' rather than 'holz' (wood?) or 'knocke' (bone?). Obviously 'elfenbein' refers to a leg of some sort. Could you tell me the particular type of leg. I am curious to know what it could be made of if it is not bone or wood. I am asuming that the 'bein' part of the word indicates it is not ivory. Unfortunately my rusty schoolboy German has not equipped me with enough words to answer this question without help.

Thanks

Crispvs

[Marcus Mummius]

elfenbein means ivory


cheers

[Crispvs]

Thanks Jef.

Crispvs

[Martin Moser]

Jef bet me to it ...

Crispus, for simple words or phrases try

www.dict.leo.org

it's a quite extensive and free German <-> English online dictionary