Sword-Site The Largest Free Online Sword Museum

[Blake]

Hi All,

I've been busily working on what has become the world's largest free online sword database; it includes both photos AND importantly measurements.

I'd love for you to stop by and have a look, the address is:

http://www.sword-site.com

Thank you and I look forward to your visit!

[Renatus]

I clicked on the link and the first words that came up were "Sexy Lace Knickers". Not quite what I was expecting!

[Flavivs Aetivs]

http://www.sword-site.com/thread/306/mig...mbellished

http://www.sword-site.com/thread/209/eur...-era-sword

http://www.sword-site.com/thread/207/gol...-era-sword

These are Hunnic, neither had pommels, and I've seen them identified as Hunnic before (Theiss Verlag does). This is a useful site!

[Renatus]

I've seen them identified as Hunnic before (Theiss Verlag does).

Theiss Verlag is a publishing house. You will need to name the publication.

[Nathan Ross]

Is this really an eagle-headed spatha?



Never seen the like before... Provenance: Ex private Yorkshire collection - ? :neutral:

[Robert]

Looks VERY much like a forgery!

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Right, I gotta find the one. I'm at school right now though so I'll have to wait until I get home.

That one you posted Nathan is. Not only have we never found a blade with an eagle head pommel (which is blatantly obviously based on the statue of the four tetrarchs) but the pattern of rust on that blade is too even to be real oxidization of an artefact. (Well, its real oxidization chemically but not an artefact).

I noticed a few look like forgeries. One had a medieval-style blade with a Cologne chape that looked like someone had put in an acid bath.

[Blake]

Hi All,

I have to respectfully disagree - the eagle headed spatha comes from Bonhams, one of the oldest and most highly regarded British antiquities auction houses!

http://sword-site.com/thread/299/roman-s...paraspatha

So I would be far more inclined to believe it is real than fake as they stake their reputation on every sale, and being more than 200 years old and having on hand a vast array of tertiary educated experts it is HIGHLY unlikely they would let a fake slip through. Additionally there is another eagle head spatha page 22 of Harvey J. Withers' The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Swords and Sabres, so I must take you to issue on the claim that no eagle head spathae exist as it is wrong.

As for others being fake that is a pretty serious allegation you make with no evidence to support it! The patina of swords can vary vastly depending upon the conditions it has been subject to.

My money is on Bonhams and Harvey J. Withers (a professional sword dealer and author) rather than conjecture. The same applies to other allegations of forgeries - I'm very thorough - in fact I'm a graduate (B.A. European Lit.) and the focus of my studies was the Roman way of war. I'm happy to back the reputable dealers and museums unless tangible and substantial evidence proved otherwise.

The other eagle headed spatha is available to view here: http://romanofficer.com/pages/roman-offi...-chape.htm

http://romanofficer.com/PermcolA.html

and I've incorporated it into my site: http://sword-site.com/thread/108/roman-t...parazonium

Also because this is a Rome oriented site here's a link to where alot of the Roman Swords are: http://sword-site.com/board/18/swords-an...era?page=2

There's a whole lot of interesting specimens there, the Guttman Gladius and the sword known as the Tiberius Gladius to name a few!

Sexy lace knickers? Haha, I've no idea, though there are ads on the site and they are generated based on your internet browsing history!

Enjoy the site guys! I enjoy RomanArmyTalk so much I thought I would share! Thanks for all the great feedback!

[Robert]

Although without a proper examination my alligation of "looks like a forgery" was perhaps a bit harsh, it is based on a number of observations. The scabbard pieces are very atypical for a Roman sword, as is their placement. No sign of how this would have been used to suspend the sword. There is no apparent sign of a slider, a common way of fixing a sword in that period. The chape also has a strange design, non period. The pigeon is crudly sculpted and seems to be made of pewter rather then bronze or silver. It is not perforated so the tang could be peened solid, so how was it attached firmly to the tang? The "rusted look" is strange, was this sword not conserved after it had been found?
It would NOT be the first time an auction house sold objects of uncertain provenance, no provenance is given with this sword, other then that is comes from a private collection. By no means is a fact that an object was put up for auction a garantee of an object being legit.
The other Roman sword from the same collection is also VERY "unusual", here also I have serious doubt as to its pedigree. But he, that's just sitting behind a computer, reading tons of books and trampsing all over Europe looking at swords in display cases.
As to mr Withers being an expert on Roman swords, there are some who disagree with that notion, as one quick Google search revealed in the third hit down: http://british-swords.blogspot.nl/2008/0...words.html Being a sword dealer and an author does not make one an expert on swords of all periods IMHO

[markusaurelius]

What makes the sword further suspicious is that a 5th century BC celtic scabbard is part of it. Someones attempt at further authenticating the fake parts with "original" ones, only about a 1000 years out of date and the wrong culture.

[attachment=8440]image_2013-11-22.jpg[/attachment]
From the christies catalogue

Highly suspicious

[Titus Marius Secundus]

Ha ha this is soooo funny. Good work inspectors! :lol:

You are all actually doing a very good thorough job.

I respect your effort though Mr. Blake. You have a very good informational site. With no discredit to you, I do believe those swords to be fake also. But oh well, let the facts roll in!

[Flavivs Aetivs]

I don't want to discourage you by our criticism, but I applaud your efforts in putting this site together. This is a useful compilation of images and statistics about several blades.

I'm sure you would do well to consult a handful of our members here through private message if you have questions about a piece.

Keep up the good work, and please don't be discouraged to ask for help if you need it.

[Blake]

Respectfully fellas I'll side with Bonhams and Withers, practising vendors as opposed to non professional (i.e. non vocational) 'expertise' when selecting pieces.

[markusaurelius]

Bill. Its all about observation skills. The one sword we are taking about has a scabbard 'attached ' to it that is from the 5th c. B.C, and of Celtic origin. No other known roman swords have a scabbard of that type, especially one from that period. It doesn't prove its fake, just that it takes away from the authenticity if someone who claims to know a lot about the piece doesn't even notice or acknowledge the inaccuracy of the scabbard.

Its like a car expert authenticating a classic car with the wrong trim pieces or engine on it IMO.

[Augustus Janus]

I'm not expert enough to question things Bill so I'm not commenting on that part of it.

I think what you're doing is really nice though with a lot of good info. Well done on the work.

If you want a good photo of my Jambiya (sword not dagger) I can give it to you. My father was told in Saudi Arabia that it dated between 1855-1875 and it does match with others I've seen from the period.