The bronze age and the Celtic world - Universal History Library

86 THE BRONZE AGE AND THE CELTIC WORLD
leaf-shaped sword. But many examples from this group, in other respects indistinguish-
able from those described, have sides which are nearly parallel, sometimes quite so.
To these cases the term leaf-shaped is not so appUcable. But the name is hallowed
by a long tradition, and so it will be well to retain it for the whole group.
Leaf-shaped swords may be divided into two sub-groups : those with bronze
hilts or pommels, and those without. Owing to the beauty of their decoration, the
types with bronze hilts have hitherto received the greatest amount of attention,
FIG. 12.
TANG, WITH FLANGED
EDGES, SHAPED TO
FIT THE HAND.
and several archaeologists have devoted pages to describing them
and tracing out their evolution.^ They are not, however, very
common outside Hungary, and in all cases are much rarer than
the other types. The details of their form lead us to believe that
they are contemporary with some, in fact with most of the other
types, and the elaborate decoration present in most cases shows us
that they were an expensive and ornate form, used probably by
the greater chieftains, while the other types were the cheap and
plain weapons used either by the lesser nobles or by the rank and
file.
The simpler type of sword has no bronze hilt, but in its place
a long tang, usually but not invariably with flanged edges, and
shaped to fit the hand. This tang is pierced by several rivet holes,
in which the rivets are sometimes found adhering, and these
rivets were used to secure on either side of the tang pieces of
wood, bone or horn, which with it formed the hilt. In some cases
such swords have been found with wood or horn still attached.
These are obviously a cheaper form of hilt, and it is not surprising that such swords are
more commonly found and more widely distributed than those with bronze hilts or
pommels, notwithstanding that the latter have been more eagerly sought after by
collectors.
It is partly because these types, which are all included in the Type II. of Naue,"
are commoner and more widely distributed that I have selected them for special study
in preference to the more ornate forms, but also for another reason. It has hitherto
9 Naue (1903) 43-75. '» Naue (1903) 12-25.