11-05-2015, 03:19 PM
With Jeff Hildebrandt's kind permission I am reposting his reconstruction of the Herculaneum sword etc. Make a good article for AMH, Jasper?
"It is based on the sword found with the "Herculaneum soldier," and the hypothetical reconstruction was designed by Dr. Robert Mason, of the ROM & University of Toronto.
"I forged the sword from 1045 steel and gave it a simple slack quench heat treatment. The blade was forge"d very close to final dimensions, so a bit of scale can still be seen on the finished blade. The hilt is fitted with a boxwood pommel and guard, both sheathed in silver, and a bone grip. There is a ring assembly on the end of the tang.
"The scabbard was made from linden boards covered in pigskin and then reinforced with embossed bronze plates (much of which was covered by silver medallions on the original). I also made a silver belt as a last minute addition. The soldier wore two belts, both bearing silver plates, and unusually, both with frogs. The original belt appears to have had a different figurative scene in the centre of every plate, (or at least not much in the way of repetition) which would have been fun to attempt, but wasn't possible within the practical constraints of this project. "
![[Image: 18791640781_2df3200524_c.jpg]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/439/18791640781_2df3200524_c.jpg)
![[Image: 18762796106_de2a310200_b.jpg]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/372/18762796106_de2a310200_b.jpg)
![[Image: 18601375700_c9ff1f9ddb_b.jpg]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/418/18601375700_c9ff1f9ddb_b.jpg)
![[Image: 18601374320_133d9ce91d_c.jpg]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/297/18601374320_133d9ce91d_c.jpg)
Read more: http://ancientreenacting.proboards.com/thread/1130/herculaneum-soldiers-sword#ixzz3qd7MhjAB
"It is based on the sword found with the "Herculaneum soldier," and the hypothetical reconstruction was designed by Dr. Robert Mason, of the ROM & University of Toronto.
"I forged the sword from 1045 steel and gave it a simple slack quench heat treatment. The blade was forge"d very close to final dimensions, so a bit of scale can still be seen on the finished blade. The hilt is fitted with a boxwood pommel and guard, both sheathed in silver, and a bone grip. There is a ring assembly on the end of the tang.
"The scabbard was made from linden boards covered in pigskin and then reinforced with embossed bronze plates (much of which was covered by silver medallions on the original). I also made a silver belt as a last minute addition. The soldier wore two belts, both bearing silver plates, and unusually, both with frogs. The original belt appears to have had a different figurative scene in the centre of every plate, (or at least not much in the way of repetition) which would have been fun to attempt, but wasn't possible within the practical constraints of this project. "
Read more: http://ancientreenacting.proboards.com/thread/1130/herculaneum-soldiers-sword#ixzz3qd7MhjAB
Richard Campbell
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?
