Jüri Peets: About the swords of Salme

Описание: Single and double-bladed swords were also buried with all of the fallen warriors. The majority of these were either intact or were broken single-bladed swords. The dead in the bottom and top layers were only equipped with single-bladed swords, while those in the middle layer had swords of both types, with some individuals having both single and double-bladed weapons. Six of the double-bladed swords had gold-plated bronze hilts which were decorated with rich Scandinavian animal ornaments. One hilt pommel was decorated with twenty-five precious garnets. The blades of all of the swords were made of pattern-welded steel or were multi-layered. All double-bladed swords were either broken or had been damaged by being bent. Before the blades were broken or notched, they had been heated in fire; there were visible signs of filing or cutting at the break lines. The majority of the bronze hilts are considerably worn, indicating their long service lives, potentially over several generations. The swords were for the most part placed next to the hips of the deceased, pointing towards their feet, but several single-bladed swords (including those with broken blades) were also pointing towards the heads. Based on the typology of the objects, the swords can be dated to the seventh or eighth century.
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The conference was supported by Enterprise Estonia from the European Regional Development Fund.