Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T22:21:49.490Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An Iron Anthropoid Sword from Shouldham, Norfolk with Related Continental and British Weapons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2014

R. R. Clarke  and
C. F. C. Hawkes
R. R. Clarke
Affiliation:
Curator, Castle Museum, Norwich
C. F. C. Hawkes
Affiliation:
Professor of European Archaeology, Oxford
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

An iron sword of anthropoid-hilted type (pl. XXIV, 1, 3) was found in 1944 at Shouldham in West Norfolk, some five miles east of the margin of the Fens, and since 1949 has been on loan to Norwich Castle Museum. It is here published by kind permission of the owner, Mr W. R. O. Woodward. The sword was discovered while gravel was being dug in an arable field about 200 feet south-east of the site of the medieval church of St. Margaret, which fell into ruins after the Reformation. The sword was found at a depth of 1 foot 6 inches lying across the chest of an extended human skeleton inside the boundary of the medieval churchyard, as graves of that period were found adjacent though they had not disturbed this pre-Christian inhumation. There is no indication either on the ground or on air-photographs that a barrow had formerly existed, and the burial is probably to be regarded as an isolated interment.

The overall length of the sword, to the end of the branching arms, is now 21⅜ in. (54 cm.), but this has been slightly diminished by corrosion. The straight-edged blade is 16⅜ in. (44 cm.) long and the hilt measures 3¼ in. (8 cm.). At both ends of the hilt curving arms of round cross-section branch outwards to end in knobs, now of unequal size owing to differential rusting. The surface of the grip bears traces of transverse ribbing, perhaps imitating that found in bronze on other examples of the type.

Type
Iron Age
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 21 , July 1956 , pp. 198 - 227
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 1956

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS CONSULTED

Bittel, 1934. Bittel, K., Die Kelten in Württemberg (Röm.-Germ. Kommission: Romisch-Germanische Forschungen, Band 8, Berlin-Leipzig).Google Scholar
Bouillerot, 1908. Bouillerot, R., in Revue préhistorique de l'est de la France (Dijon), 1908, 69, with pl. I.Google Scholar
B.M., I.A. Guide, 1905, 1925. Guide to Antiquities of the Early Iron Age, British Museum (London): ed. 1, 1905; ed. 2, 1925 (both by R. A. Smith).Google Scholar
B.M., L.P.A. Brit. Is., 1953. British Museum, Later Prehistoric Antiquities of the British Isles (London).Google Scholar
Bulleid and Gray, 1911, 1917. Bulleid, A. and Gray, H. St. G., The Glastonbury Lake-Village (Glastonbury Antiq. Soc.: vol. 1, 1911, vol. 11, 1917).Google Scholar
Castelfranco, 1907. Castelfranco, P., in Rivista archeologica di Como, 1906 (1907), 101 ff. Primary publication of no. 17 (Malnate); for reason why not cited here for the other swords which he lists, see Déchelette, 1914, 1138–9 (1927, 644–5), n. 3 ad fin.; Couissin, 1926, 32, n. 1, 40, n. 4, etc.Google Scholar
Couissin, 1923. Couissin, P., in Revue archéologique, 1923, 2, 27–89.Google Scholar
Couissin, 1924. Couissin, P., in Revue archeologique, 1924, 2, 292–309.Google Scholar
Couissin, 1926. Couissin, P., 1926, in Revue archeologique, 1926, 2, 32–63.Google Scholar
Davis and Thurnam, 1865. Davis, J. B. and Thurnam, J. T., Crania Britannica (London).Google Scholar
DéChelette, 1899. Déchelette, J., in Congrés archéologique de France, Mâcon, 1899, 160 ff.Google Scholar
DéChelette, 1913. Déchelette, J., Manuel d'archéologie (Paris), II, 2 (ler Age du Fer).Google Scholar
DéChelette, 1914. Déchelette, J., Manuel d'archéologie (Paris), II, 3 (2me Age du Fer).Google Scholar
DéChelette, 1927. Déchelette, J., Manuel d'archéologie (Paris, ed. 2), III, IV.Google Scholar
De Lisle Du Dreneuc, 1917. Dreneuc, P. de Lisle du, in Revue archéologique, 1917, 2, 321–7, pl. VI.Google Scholar
Dobson, 1931. Dobson, Dina P., The Archaeology of Somerset (London).Google Scholar
Ebert, 1927, 1928, 1929. Ebert, M. (ed.), Reallexikon der Vorgeschichte (Berlin-Leipzig), vol. VIII, 1927: art. ‘Munkácz’ (Belle-Wilcke), 353; XI, 1928: art. ‘Schwert: Europa’ (Sprockhoff), 431–5; XIV, 1929: art. ‘Ungarn: La Téne-Zeit (Wilcke), 26–30.Google Scholar
Eggers, 1951. Eggers, H. J., Der Römische Import im Freien Germanien (Hamburg: Atlas der Urgeschichte, Bd. 2).Google Scholar
Evans, 1890. (SirEvans, Arthur, in Archaeologia (London) LII, 2, 315–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, 1915. SirEvans, Arthur, in Archaeologia (London), LXVI, 569––70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forrer, 1887. Forrer, R., in Antiqua (Zürich-Dresden), VI, 14–15.Google Scholar
Fox, 1923. (SirFox, Cyril, The Archaeology of the Cambridge Region (Cambridge).Google Scholar
Gilardoni, 1948. Gilardoni, V., Naissance de l'Art (Lausanne).Google Scholar
Grancsay, 1931. Grancsay, Stephen V., in Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), XXXVI, 40–1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grenier, 1922, 1945. Grenier, A., Les Gaulois (Paris), 1st and 2nd eds.Google Scholar
Haberl, 1955. Haberl, Johanna, in Germania (Frankfurt), 33, 174–80.Google Scholar
Hawkes and Dunning, 1930. Hawkes, C. F. C. and Dunning, G. C., in Archaeological Journal (London), LXXXVII (for 1930), 150–335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawkes and Hull, 1947. Hawkes, C. F. C. and Hull, M. R., Camulodunum (London: Res. Rep. Soc. Antiq., XIV).Google Scholar
Heierli, 1890. Heierli, J., in Anzeiger für Schweizerische Altertumskunde (Zurich), 1890, 318–19.Google Scholar
Henry, 1933. Henry, Françoise, in Préhistoire (Paris), 11, 1, 65–146.Google Scholar
Henry, 1940. Henry, Françoise, Irish Art (London).Google Scholar
Hertlein, 1912. Hertlein, H., Altertümer des Oberamts Heidenheim (Esslingen).Google Scholar
Hubert, 1932. Hubert, H., Les Celtes et l'expansion celtique jusqu' à l'époque de La Téne (Paris); Engl. trans. The Rise of the Celts (London, 1934).Google Scholar
Hunyady, 1942–1944. Hunyady, Ilona v., Die Kelten im Karpathenbecken (plates, 1942); Kelták a Kárpátmedencében (text, 1944): Dissertationes Pannonicae, ser. II, no. 18 (Budapest).Google Scholar
Jacobsthal, 1944. Jacobsthal, P., Early Celtic Art (Oxford), 2 vols. (text, plates).Google Scholar
Kemble, 1863. Kemble, J. M. (with ed. Latham, R. G. and Franks, A. W.), Horae Ferales (London).Google Scholar
Kudrnač, 1953. Kudrnáč, J., in Archaeologické rozhledy (Praha), V, 3, 322–7 (Czech), 428 (French).Google Scholar
Kudrnač, 1956. Kudrnáč, J., in Archaeologické rozhledy (Praha), VIII; summary kindly communicated to C.F.C.H. in advance of publication.Google Scholar
Lambrechts, 1954. Lambrechts, P., L'Exaltation de la tête dans la pensée et dans l'art des Celtes (Bruges: Diss. Arch. Gand., 11).Google Scholar
Lantier and Hubert, 1947. Lantier, R. and Hubert, J., Les Origines de l'art français (Paris).Google Scholar
Lehoczky, 1906. Lehoczky, Th., in Archaeológiai Értesitő (Budapest), 1906, pp. 1 ff.; report on his Gallishegy (Lovácska) excavations.Google Scholar
Lindenschmidt, 1883–1892. Lindenschmidt, L. the elder, Die Alterthümer unserer heidnischen Vorzeit (Mainz, publ, serially), Bd. IV.Google Scholar
Lindenschmidt, 1889. Lindenschmidt, L. the younger, Das Römisch-Germanische Centralmuseum in bildlichen Darstellungen aus seinen Satnmlungen (Mainz).Google Scholar
Marton, 1933. Márton, L. v., Die Frühlaténezeit in Ungarn (A Korai La Téne-Kultura Magyarországon): Archaeologia Hungarica, XI (Budapest).Google Scholar
Moberg, 1950. Moberg, C. A., ‘When did Late La Téne begin ?’ Acta Archaeologica (Copenhagen), XXI, 83–136.Google Scholar
Moberg, 1952. Moberg, C. A., ‘Between La Téne II and III’, Acta Archaeologica (Copenhagen), XXIII, 1–29.Google Scholar
Morel, 1873. Morel, L., in Matériaux pour l'histoire … de l'homme (Paris), X, 177.Google Scholar
Morel, 1898. Morel, L., La Champagne souterraine (Reims), with Album of plates.Google Scholar
Mortimer, 1905. Mortimer, J. R., Forty Years' Researches in … East Yorkshire (London).Google Scholar
Naue, 1903. Naue, J., Die vorrömischen Schwerter (Munich), 87: publishes no. 17 (R. Zihl), with further list, containing errors.Google Scholar
Olmerova, 1955. Olmerová, H., in Archeologické rozhledy (Praha), VII, 1, 71 (fig. 52), 94 (Czech), 139 (French).Google Scholar
Peake, 1931. Peake, H. J. E., The Archaeology of Berkshire (London).Google Scholar
Phillips, 1934. Phillips, C. W., in Arch. J. (London), XCI, 2, 97–187.Google Scholar
Pič, 1900, 1902, 1903. Pič, J. L., Starozitnosti zeme české (Praha), I, 2 (1900); II, 1 (1902); II, 2 (The Hradischt of Stradonic, 1903).Google Scholar
Pič-Déchelette, 1906. Píč, J. L., translated by Déchelette, J. (from Píč, 1903), Le Hradischt de Stradonitz en Bohême (Leipzig).Google Scholar
Piggott, 1950. Piggott, S., ‘Swords and Scabbards of the British Early Iron Age’, in Proc. Prehist. Soc., 1950, 1–28.Google Scholar
Piggott and Daniel, 1951. Piggott, Stuart and Daniel, Glyn E., A Picture-book of Ancient British Art (Cambridge).Google Scholar
Pittioni 1954. Pittioni, R., Urgeschichte des Österreichischen Raumes (Vienna).Google Scholar
Prochazka, 1937. Procházka, A., Gallská Kultura na Vyskovsku (Brno), 32, 85–6, tab. 16, 18. Not seen, but kindly communicated to C. F. C. H. by Dr Kudrnáč.Google Scholar
Pulszky, 1879. Pulszky, F. v., Die Denkmäler der Kelten-Herrschaft in Ungarn (Budapest: Literarischen Berichte aus Ungarn, ed, Hunfalvy, P., III, 2).Google Scholar
Pulszky, 1897. Pulszky, F. v., Magyarország Archaeologiája (Budapest, 1897), Bd. 1, pp. 190 ff.Google Scholar
Raftery, 1951. Raftery, J., Prehistoric Ireland (London).Google Scholar
Read, 1915. SirRead, Hercules, in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, XXVII (for 1914–15), 214–15.Google Scholar
Reinach, 1895. Reinach, Salomon, ‘La Sculpture en Europe avant les influences gréco-romaines’, §§ XII–XV, L'Anthropologie (Paris), VI, 18–32.Google Scholar
Reinach, 1901, 1902. Reinach, Salomon, in Revue archéologique, 1901, 2, 289–91; 1902, 2, 131: summary and supplements to Reinach, 1895.Google Scholar
Reinach, 1917. Reinach, Salomon, Catalogue illustré du Musée des Antiquites Nationales au Château de St. Germain-en-Laye (Paris), tome 1.Google Scholar
Reinecke, 1898. Reinecke, P., in Archaeológiai Ertesitő (Budapest), 1898, 306–16.Google Scholar
Reinecke, 1902. Reinecke, P., ‘Zur Kenntniss der La Téne-Denkmäler der Zone nordwärts der Alpen’: Festschrift Mus. Mainz, 1902, 53–109.Google Scholar
Rice Holmes, 1911. Holmes, T. Rice, Caesar's Conquest of Gaul (Oxford), 2nd edn.Google Scholar
Schranil, 1928. Schránil, J., Die Vorgeschichte Böhmens und Mährens (Berlin and Leipzig).Google Scholar
Sheppard, 1933. Sheppard, T., in Yorkshire Archaeological Journal (Leeds), XXXI, 2 (part 122), 132–4.Google Scholar
Skutil, 1941. Skutil, J., in Časopis v lasteneckého spolku musejního v Olomouci (Olomouc), 54, 14–16. Not seen, but kindly communicated to C.F.C.H. by Dr Kudrnáč.Google Scholar
Smith, 1912. Smith, Reginald A., in Archaeologia (London), LXIII, 1–30.Google Scholar
Smolik, 1882–1884. Smolík, J-, in Patnatky Archaeologické (Praha), XII: a, 229–31, 523–4, tab. XXII; b 354–5, tab. XVI, 52.Google Scholar
Stočky, 1933. Stočky, A., Čechy v dobé železné (Praha).Google Scholar
Tompa, 1937. Tompa, F. v., in XXIV–V Bericht der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission, 1934–1935 (Berlin).Google Scholar
Vouga, 1923. Vouga, P., La Téne: monographie de la station (Leipzig).Google Scholar
Waddington, 1934. Waddington, Q., in J. British Arch. Assoc. (London) n.s. XXXIX, 389.Google Scholar
Wagner, 1937. Wagner, F., in Nachrichtenblatt für Deutsche Vorzeit (Leipzig), 13, 211.Google Scholar
Walter, 1923. Walter, R. Hensleigh, in Ant. J. (London) III, 149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Werner, 1954. Werner, J., in Bayerische Vorgeschichtsblätter (Munich), 20, 43–73.Google Scholar
Wheeler, 1943. (SirWheeler, R. E. M., Maiden Castle, Dorset (London: Res. Rep. Soc. Antiq. XII).CrossRefGoogle Scholar