VIKING SINGLE-EDGED SWORD WITH INLAID AND HANDLE

Ca. 900-1100 AD. Viking. A stunning single-edged iron sword with a long, double-edged blade, culminating in a point, a short, tapering guard, and an angular shaped pommel. The blade is decorated with cruciform inlaid patterns between symmetrical lines. 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. Mounted on a custom-made stand. Excellent condition. For more information on Viking swords, see Peirce, I. & Oakeshott, E. (eds.) (2009). Swords of the Viking Age. Boydell & Brewer Ltd.Size: L:920mm / W:80mm ; 955g. Provenance: Property of a European collector. Formerly in the collection of Earl Mitchell, London 1990s.