6533b827fe1ef96bd1286384

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Production et circulation des épées à poignée métallique de l'âge du Bronze en Europe occidentale

subject

description

Several regional syntheses have been published on Bronze Age solid-hilted swords, but none for France and the Benelux countries. This dissertation aims first at filling this gap by listing the swords from this region. By adding data from these pre-existing studies, it is possible to study the distribution of solid-hilted swords on a European scale. The building of an inventory is an essential condition to study the diffusion of these weapons over long distances. This must come along with models to characterise the organisation of the swords production and the ways they spread out. It requires us to question the status of the craftsmen, their organisation and their location. One of the first important points of our study is to think about the origin of the morphological, ornamental and technical characteristics of these weapons. Only the production techniques are the result of choices made by the craftsmen. We do not know whether the shape and decoration of the swords are determined by the users, the producers or both. Therefore, it seems futile to use types based on stylistic characteristics as a way to identify production areas, as spatial concentrations correspond at its best to areas where solid-hilted swords where in use. With the help of imaging techniques, we were able to study certain aspects of sword production, such as the casting of the hilt and the way it is fixed to the blade. Based on these observations, a typo-technology was constructed, allowing the identification of different technical traditions corresponding to different production groups. By studying the few known moulds used to produce these swords as well as the phenomena of imitation and hybridisation, which may indicate local productions, we identified possible production areas and discussed the craftsmen organisation as well as the modes of circulation. This was first done type by type before proposing period by period syntheses. During much of the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, most of the solid-hilted swords were produced in specialised workshops. Probably few of these existed and were centralised, but they worked certainly on commission. In parallel to these production centres, less specialised and more versatile craftsmen must have made a few weapons in a less standardised manner. The situation changes abruptly during Hallstatt B2/3. The last stage of the Bronze Age is indeed marked by major stylistic and technical changes as well as by a reconfiguration of the exchange networks. It probable reflects a renewal among the users of these weapons and a diversification of the production centres.