It is already risky enough trying to reconstruct lost forms of combat and even more difficult dealing with cultural environment that is stingy with iconographic and literary data.
Nevertheless I must say I have appreciated your video, your tone is very comprehensible and it is certainly a start.
For one-on-one fight, and particularly for the ‘on-guard’ positions with the sword and the spear, perhaps you could get an idea from the representations of duels in Iron Age’s petroglyphs (Val Camonica, Val Tellina, French Alps etc) and rock paintings, or from the art of the situles, that - even if it is more ancient - can be useful.
However, as already written by Robert Vermaat, there is a huge difference between a duel and a clash of mass of armed men. In this case, in comparison to a duel, there can be some variations in the armaments, and obviously in the fight-techniques.
Try fighting on soft, uneven ground like that in leather shoes with no grip and see what happens. The reason I don't plan to incorporate other martial arts into this is because I don't want to have any influences on this from other arts from cultures that the Germanics had no contact with whatsoever, or were developed far after this time. Despite my limited experiece with martial arts (I did take karate for about half a year or more), the weapons and shields can only be used in one way the most effectivly. Also, like I mentioned earlier, the reason why my stances were not the best was because I was fighting on a soft, bog-like ground, in leather shoes.
Dan Dalby
Group Leader Project Germani
Germanic Tribes of the 1st. cen. BCE to the 1st cen. CE
I took a look at the Val Camonica rock carvings. Very cool! It's fascinating to see how there are such close paralells between depictions of weapons in the carvings and actual archeological findings! However, as far as the duels were concerned, the shields were very small and often strage looking (not like any shield i've ever seen). Also, being 2D, it's very difficult to tell how they're holding them, or of they're holding them on an angle. One thing is clear though that I was already famliar with, holding the weapon behind your head for a strike so you don't have to waste time lifting it back to strike. This tactic is excellent in a duel, however, in a large battle, you would want your sword closer to your side to deflect a blow from the right side. You could theoretically move your shield, but this leaves you open to attack on your left side. In our next video, we're going to deal with attacks coming in from the flanks while you're fighting the guy infront of you.
Dan Dalby
Group Leader Project Germani
Germanic Tribes of the 1st. cen. BCE to the 1st cen. CE
1) Well I have quite frequently fenced in such conditions, if you're having trouble learn actual footwork.
2) So...taking cues from other traditions, which are going to be fundamentals, is a bad idea and will contaminate what you're doing but making stuff up is correct?
3) As for your last post see chambered sword and shield work.
I don't think you realize that fencing is entirely differant than sword and shield. I have fought a silver medalist fencer in the sword and shield style and beat him.
Dan Dalby
Group Leader Project Germani
Germanic Tribes of the 1st. cen. BCE to the 1st cen. CE
Nicely done...I heard alot this a war knife is the same as a Vimose seax or single edge germanic sword. As in page 4 of the pdf you send it would be the forth one from the left.
the size is up to the owner and the use of the piece.
The warknife is destinctly shorter than the Vimose single edged sword. Here is an example of another warknife from Grossromstedt, Thuringia, Germany. When you compare it to the spearhead and to the shieldboss, you will see how small it is compared to a sword.
[attachment=4468]a106.jpg[/attachment]
The perticular sword you're interested in is about the same size as the Vimose sword, but just about a century earlier. The blade is also destinctly narrower. The Vimose sword also had engraving on the blade, as well as a complete handle and scabbard. The scabbard for this sword would be similar. I was considering making a replica of this for my brother who's also in my group.
[attachment=4467]HamburgLangenbek27SingleEdgedSword.JPG[/attachment]
compare the Hamburg Langenbek sword to the Vimose sword and you will see a distinct differance in the width of the blade
Germanischen hiebschwert,vimose seax..the only thing that sets the apart is the thickness and width and how one wishes to deck it out.It' sharp and single edge....LOL...A big knife you fight with in the short and simple.
You can go as far as the making it fit the owners hand and the length of his hand for the handle,his or her's arm length for how long the blade should be.
Thanks to a little talk with Martin Becker about his work and view
The Vimose single edged sword or 'saex' as you call it, is actually a Germanisches Hiebschwert. Single edged Germanic weapons are only referred to as saexes after about 400 AD or so when they reappear. Fromt the 4th cen. BC to the 1st cen. AD, they are referred to as 'Germanic Single Edged Swords (Germanisches Einschneidiges Hiebschwert), or warknives (kampfmesser).
Dan Dalby
Group Leader Project Germani
Germanic Tribes of the 1st. cen. BCE to the 1st cen. CE
Harjaz is correct about the Vimose Single edged swords.
Looks like the Vimose Single edged sword is a SIc2 type of sword according to Wolfgang Adler's book about Germanic armament in the lower Elbe region.
I believe this sword is from the second century AD period, after this period the typical single edged swords disappears from the archeological record.
A while ago I made a quick summery picture of various Single edged swords and war-knives dated from the early Pre-Roman iron-age to the fist part of the early Roman iron age.
Note; is not complete and not correctly scaled.
I also added a picture of a very interesting looking "war-knife" from the Pomerian iron age. Maybe somebody at this forum has more information about this interesting weapon.
