Abingdon Sword

The Abingdon Sword is a late Anglo-Saxon iron sword and hilt believed to be from the late 9th or early 10th century;[2] only the first few inches of the blade remain attached to the hilt.

The Abingdon Sword
Reproduction of the Abingdon Sword on display at Abingdon County Hall Museum.[1]

The sword was found in 1874 at Bog Mill (possibly Buggs Mill, on the River Ock), near the town of Abingdon on the River Thames in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire) in England.[3] It is held in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, north of Abingdon.[4]

The Abingdon Sword has silver mounts inlaid with niello in the Trewhiddle style.[5] The sword's guard has interlaced animal motifs.[3] Ornamentation includes symbols of the Evangelists. The pommel of the sword has two animal heads for decoration.

A reproduction of the Abingdon Sword has been on display at Abingdon County Hall Museum since it reopened in 2012.[1]

The style of the guards and pommel also suggest the sword dates from the late ninth to tenth century.

Description

The upper and lower guards are curved and contain various interlaced designs, including birds, animal and human figures, and foliated patterns. The figures on the upper guard have been identified as the four symbols of the evangelists. The style of leaf used next to the figure of the eagle on the upper guard has also been identified on early tenth century embroideries from Durham. On the back, the Alfred Jewel and a number of other objects, date to this period. The pommel incorporates two outward-looking animal heads, with protruding ears and round eyes and nostrils, now fragmentary.

The lower portion of the iron blade is missing, however X-rays of the sword show that the blade is pattern welded.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Abingdon Sword replica; Saxon; England, Oxfordshire, Abingdon-on-Thames". eHive, Vernon Systems. Abingdon County Hall Museum. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  2. Wilson, David M. (1965). "Some Neglected Late Anglo-Saxon Swords" (PDF). Medieval Archaeology. 9: 32–54. doi:10.1080/00766097.1965.11735686 – via Archaeology Data Service. open access
  3. Birkett, Thomas (11 November 2010). "The Abingdon Sword". Woruldhord collection. University of Oxford, UK. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  4. "Sword fragment and hilt (The Abingdon Sword)". Ashmolean Prints. Ashmolean Museum, UK. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  5. Graham-Campbell, James. "Some New and Neglected Finds of 9th-century Anglo-Saxon Ornamental Metalwork" (PDF). Medieval Archaeology. 26: 144–151 – via Archaeology Data Service. open access
  6. "Ashmolean Museum: British Archaeology Collections - Abingdon Sword". britisharchaeology.ashmus.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2017.


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