art-of-swords:Sword from the ship-burial at Sutton HooDated: early 7th century A.D.Culture: Anglo-Sa
art-of-swords:Sword from the ship-burial at Sutton HooDated: early 7th century A.D.Culture: Anglo-SaxonMedium: iron, gold and cloisonné garnet fittingsMeasurements: Length: 84 cm (sword blade)Provenance: from Mound 1, Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, EnglandAnglo-Saxon sword blades are made using a technique known as pattern-welding, where rods of iron are twisted and then forged to form the core of a blade to which a sharp cutting edge is added. The sword blade found in the Sutton Hoo ship-burial is especially complex and is matched only by the fragmentary blade found in Mound 2 at Sutton Hoo.The sword is richly furnished with a gold and garnet pommel, gold guards and filigree clips on the hilt. It was buried in a wooden scabbard which was lined with sheep wool, whose oil kept the blade bright.The sword hung from a belt whose fittings are equally magnificent. All are made of gold with inlaid garnet cloisonné. One of these, the strap distributor, is made of three moving parts; on the back of one are the marks of a tiny goldsmith’s hammer where a repair has been made. The belt buckle is the only piece of ‘jewellery’ found in this extraordinary grave that is damaged - it lay beneath the blade and was crushed when the burial chamber collapsed.Source: Copyright 2013 © Trustees of the British MuseumThere’s also a beautiful pattern-welded recreation of this sword in the Sutton Hoo museum. -- source link
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