It is, unfortunately, impossible to date the specimens, or the changes, but the gradual development, the obvious advantages gained, and the simulation of old forms, leave scarcely any room for doubt as to the sequence through which the beautiful leaf-shaped spear-head has been evolved.
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| Fig. 25.—Iron sword from a cemetery at Brighthampton in Oxfordshire, one-eighth of the actual size. | Fig. 26.—Sword from Ireland—2312 inches long, 158 wide in the centre of the blade, which is margined by a grooved feather edge. |
The swords of the Bronze Age (figs. 26–33[1]) are more or less leaf-like in shape, double-edged, sharp-pointed, and intended for stabbing; and thrusting rather than for cutting. This is evident, not only from the general shape, but also from the condition of the edges. They never have any hand-guards: the handles are sometimes solid (figs. 29–36); this is generally the case with those found in Denmark: sometimes (figs. 26–28) flat, thin, and evidently intended to be plated with wood or bone: while sometimes the sword expands at its base, and is fastened to a handle by from two to four rivets. Swords of this class are generally shorter than the others, and indeed we find every intermediate form between the true sword and the dagger (figs. 37, 38, 39); of the two classes together, the Dublin Museum contains
- ↑ In fig. 25 an ancient iron sword is represented, in order to show the difference in form.
