VIKING IRON SWORD WITH HANDLE

Ca. 900-1100 AD. Viking. A beautifully preserved iron sword with a double-edged bevelled and pointed blade and wide shallow groove; short guard and rectangular integrated grip. The blade is decorated with incised letters. The sword was an elite weapon during the Viking period, and only the most well-off warriors - the cavalry - would have been able to afford one. Such swords were used both by the Vikings and Khazars. The elite status of swords during the Viking age is made clear both by their presence in some of the richest graves as well as a law of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor, which requires soldiers who could afford to maintain a horse to be equipped with a sword. For more information on Viking swords, see Peirce, I. & Oakeshott, E. (eds.) (2009). Swords of the Viking Age. Boydell & Brewer Ltd.Size: L:810mm / W:80mm ; 1.1kg. Provenance: Property of a European collector. Formerly in the collection of Earl Mitchell, London 1990s.