Das Schwert - Symbol und Waffe

Ever since the MBA the sword has been part of occidental culture in its double nature of weapon and symbol. This was the topic of an interdisciplinary symposium held in Freiburg im Breisgau from 19th-20th October 2012. These conference proceedings contain acknowledgements, an introduction, 17 papers, and a list of authors. The contributions deal with the distribution of octagonal-hilted swords, boats with bird protomae [Vogelbarken] on full-hilted Urnfield swords, the question of “sword women” and a “sword-bearing nobility” in the Urnfield and Hallstatt periods, Latène sword stamps, the sword in the civil war Caesar vs. Pompeius, liturgic weapons in the mysteries of Mithras, gold grip spathae and blades of spathae of the EMA, European sword types of the 3rd to 13th century, sword dancing in Tacitus’ Germania and [divine] weapon-bearers in monuments of art, the success story of sword and circular shield, the influence of combat requirements on the shape of spathae and Medieval swords, linguistic aspects of Early Modern fencing and wrestling treatises, the sword as mirrored in fight- and warbooks, swords with magic powers, ceremonial sword-bearing and urban sword-fighting of the 15th/16th century.