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86
Maria Emilia CRÎNGACI ŢIPLIC
CATALOGUE
1. Sword, sword fragments from Şelimbăr (plate 2:1 and 5): The five sword fragments are
part of the 57 objects that comprise the forge 65 from Şelimbăr.
9. Cross-guard with round profile and thickened ends; one of the ends is bent. Dimensions:
length 210 mm, section diameter at one end: 7 mm (inv. no. 10692).
10. Cross-guard with rectangular profile, one end is slightly damaged. Dimensions: length:
177 mm, profile diameter: 14/11 mm (inv. no. 10692).
26. Pommel, semi-lenticular in shape, as seen from the front, with a convex bottom, triangular
in lateral section. Dimensions: frontal diameter 65 x 67 mm, thickness 27 mm (inv. no.
10704).
43. A single hand or a hand-and-a-half sword with hilt, the blade shows slightly indented
median fuller, also extending over a small portion of the hilt. The item lacks the pommel
and the cross-guard, and its point is broken. Dimensions: overall length 920 mm, hilt
length 155 mm, blade length 765 mm, blade width 460 mm, blade thickness 5 mm (inv.
no. 10539).
44. Blade in rectangular section, which presents processing traces and a thinning at one end.
The blade may be a raw form of sword that never came to be finished. Dimensions:
length 415 mm, width 46 mm, thickness 5 mm (inv. no. 10540).
50. Fragment of sword blade with median fuller, the lower half of the blade is preserved.
Dimensions: length 415 mm, width 46 mm, thickness 5 mm (inv. no. 10541).
Dating: first half of the 13 th century.
Place of discovery: discovered in 1879 near the border of Şelimbăr, towards Vurpăr (Sibiu
County).
The area of origin for this type of piece: the German area.
65 The blacksmith’s workshop comprises 57 items, of which at least 16 are typical tools used by a
blacksmith, including 3 hammers with multiple functionality (no. 5, 7, 8), 2 chisels (no. 21, 22), a
mandrel (no. 38), a spoon for the melted iron (no. 46), 2 pliers for the fire (no. 47, 48), 1 pair of scissors
for cutting tin, (inv. no. 49), a fire stake (no. 57), an iron hanger for the cauldron (no. 52), a chain with
two big pegs (no. 56). Along with the blacksmith’s tools there were also various completed or almost
completed iron objects, clearly meant as tools and weapons: four axes (no. 2, 3, 4, 6), two plough
knives (no. 42, 45), two sword fragments (no. 43, 50), two sword cross-guards (no. 9, 10), one
incomplete sword pommel (no. 26), a blade which could represent the raw form of a sword (no. 44); the
inventory also includes many reinforcements, hinges and handles which, according to their size should
be used for fastenings of shutters, doors or gates (for a detailed description and interpretation of the
pieces see K. Horedt 1957, p. 336 -337). The chronology of the hoard is given by the silver urceolus
and the sword fragments (Horedt K. 1957, K. Horedt 1977, p. 450-456, M. Rill 1983, p. 81), which are
generally specific to a certain population / social category and a relatively short period of time
compared to other objects that have a longer persistence and a wider geographical spread. Regarding
the four axes, it is difficult to determine their main function, weapon or tool, taking into account their
dating in the first half of the 13 th century [I. E. Emandi includes axes no. 2 and 6 (see plates 5:2, 5:6) in
the category of tools (type X-2); this type of axe with a massive narrow body, in the shape of a triangle,
with rounded neck and narrow blade, slightly widened towards the edge, is used especially in cutting
down trees; in this respect, it brings many analogies dating in the 13 th and 14 th centuries in Romania as
well as in Russia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria – I. E. Emandi 1981, p. 40-42]. Regarding the numbering
of the pieces from the hoard of Şelimbăr, which at first seems chaotic, we preferred to maintain the
numbering applied by K. Horedt in the description of pieces published in his work from 1977 (K.
Horedt 1977), the numbers also corresponding to the numbers from plate 5.