Vv Issue 66 Colour

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� � � � � � Author PageContents, Cover Description, Varangian Voice Policy 1

• From the Editor 1

• Melbourne Medieval Fayre and Tourney Report Stephen (Sven) Wyley 2

• A Byzantine Pastime – Stomachion – stovmakion Peter Raftos 4

• Byzantine Shield Patterns – making use of primary sources Peter Raftos 6

• The Sabre of Charlemagne Graeme Walker 9

• A Fur Lined Rus Kaftan Jenny Baker 17

• Some Possible Models For the Kavadion Graeme Anderson 21

• A full suit of Korean Lamellar Armour Jeremy Draper 22

New Varangian Guard Contact List

� � �� �Photos from A full suit of Korean Lamellar Armour by Jeremy Draper, Page 22.

�� � � � �� � ��� �� � � � ��� �The Varangian Voice is published quarterly by the New Varangian Guard Inc. It is distributed to members, as part of theirmembership fee or subscription, to other clubs in exchange for their quality publication, and is available to interested persons ororganisations by subscription.All rights reserved. No part of the Varangian Voice may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, whether electronic, mechanical ormanual, in whole or part without written permission of the Editor. Copyright for all the articles appearing is reassigned to the authorof the respective article, with the exception that the Varangian Voice reserves the right to reprint articles as and when the Editor seesfit.It is preferred that submission be received electronically (including pictures), as this saves the Editor a considerable amount of timere-typing or scanning. However, submissions for the publication may-be typewritten or word-processed. Articles should include thefull name and address of the author and should be received 4 weeks prior to publication date. The current typeface is Times NewRoman 12 pt and using MS Word 98. However, any Word Processing format can be converted and can be submitted by Floppy Disk(IBM Format) or by E-mail. Floppy Disks will be returned with the next issue. Contributors should take steps to ensure thatelectronic articles are virus free. No responsibility can be taken for missing or damaged disks. Articles must include references tosources.The views, endorsements and opinions expressed in the Varangian Voice are from the individual authors and are in no way those ofthe New Varangian Guard Inc. in part or whole.

All submissions and correspondence should be directed to:Jeremy Draper E-mail: [email protected] – Varangian VoicePO Box CP89MILDURA VIC 3501 AUSTRALIA

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Welcome,Thanks to all our contributors who managed to give me lots of articles and well before thepublishing date! There are some fantastic articles in this issue.The VV will soon be available over the web and the back issues will be scanned and available in.pdf format. We are yet to iron out the actual web hosting issues and produce the new VV page, butI don't think we are to far of (maybe by late this year, nothing is quick in a volunteer organisation!).Still, I think it's very exciting. Joanna Molloy (Handakas Garrison) great fully volunteered herself toupdate the VV index, so we will have a complete index soon! It is my plan then to create somecompilations, such as the 'VV Arms and Armour Compendium', with all the past articles on thesubjec…so many plans…so little time. Speak to you next time.

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Jeremy Draper - Editor

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�������������� �� ��� ��������������9th November 2003

Old Cheese Factory, Berwick, Victoria, Australia

By Stephen (Sven) Wyley

Introduction

For those that went to the Adelaide Medieval fair or did not make it to the Melbourne MedievalFayre and Tourney (MMFAT) you missed out on great public display event. The event wassponsored by Strongbow, and the association looks like it will continue next year. The event was asuccess for a number of reasons: there were over 1000 people through the gate; all the store holdersmade a profit; the lions club did a roaring trade in sausages and drinks; the combat displays wereringed with enthusiastic crowds and good time was had by all.

There was large range groups and individuals involved with this event, not just historical re-enactors. The were the; City of Casey Pipe Band, Berwick and District Folk Group, Lions Club ofNarre Warren, Berwick Woodworkers, Handweavers and Spinners Guild, Australian Lace Guild,Traralgon Granite and Marble, Iolair Arts, Blooming Elegance, Yoretymes.

Combat

The main combat display area occupied most of the open space in the centre of the facility (theVillage Green). The Medieval historical re-enactment tourney consisted of two sessions (one beforelunch and one after). Each of these sessions consisted of: a "last man standing' bout (no attacks frombehind and no teaming up); a call out for single combat (only used for the first session); and finallygroup combat consisting of shield walls meeting without flanking. A wedge was used but theiropponents saw it coming, spilt their forces appropriately but failed to take advantage of theirposition and the survivors ran like scared goats.

The combat displays were relatively safe, the barrier between the combatants and the crowd wasnever compromised. However, twice my groin was attack, once with a sword and the other a knee,those violators of the rules were summarily chastised. It was also noted that some of the moreexperienced combatants went to town on each other in the heat of the tourney, and this should notbe countenanced. As a reward for surviving the best during the single combats and do well in therest of the tourney the prize ( a silver engraved mug) was presented to Craig Sitch of the AntiochGarrison.

The combat field was also utilised by the combatants from the SCA (Krae Glas), three of them infact. These knights display the form of tournament used by the SCA. And to the delight of thechildren, allowed the children to step on the field and hit them with the SCA legal weapons.

The Agincourt re-enactment was a chance for the archers to show off their skill at hitting a movingmenacing target at a variety of distances and the French advanced on foot up the hill through thighhigh grass (quite reminiscent of the actual site). Hundreds of members of the public thronged thefence, avid for a better view of the field of carnage. The dozen or so archers were lined upparalleling the fence facing four infantry. As the attacks of the French advanced up the hill the crossfire was withering, An award for the best archer was presented to Cherilyn of Antioch for heraccurate shots on here other half, Craig, along with the glee shown on her face as each arrow foundit's target. Thanks to the archers and the brave French.

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Living history

The Guard and Krae Glas had their tents and living history display set up to the south east of theVillage green. It is always pleasing to me to see the current range of tents available to modernhistory buff. Krae Glas had a getald with thin blue stripes and a large double belled pavilion.Whereas, Craig Sitch had his decorated bell tent based on one of the bell tents from theMaciejowski Bible (1250 c.e.), notable was also the cooking implements surrounding the fire withthe vegetable soup on the boil. The geteld of the Baker of Hodegon was much visited with Gary andJenny ever busy fielding questions from the questing public. I believe the merchants of the Guardalso did a brisk trade under the shade pavilion by the Village Green. Jenny Baker's Naalbinding wasa hit with the ladies from the Handweavers and Spinners Guild.

Trebuchet

It took a joint effort to transport and set up Vlachernai's traction trebuchet. Thanks to David andPaul from the Old Cheese factor, let alone Stuart, Kristen, Andrew and Craig (bloody bolts). Thecrowd gathered on the other side of the fence and listened to my spiel on trebuchets. The sling wasloaded and the helmeted pullers (some say tossers) grasped their ropes and with call of 'loose' theyheaved downwards on the ropes, the sling started it's upward swing, only to be halted as the pivotarm supports collapsed bringing down the pivot arm, sling, missile and all. Luckily, only part of thepivot arm hit Stuart Laird on the helmet (causing a possible slight concussion), mea culpa, meaculpa. The dowelled and nailed join of the upright to the pivot arm supports failed during the firstfling in two years (of sitting in the open in my back yard). The two good things that came out of thiswere; 1) we did not have to transport the blasted thing home, and 2) the Old Cheese factory haveoffered to build a replacement for use next year (plus a pair of stocks).

Feast

The feasters we greeted with abundant food and sweet music from much spoken of Medieval musicgroup Carnevale. This was a smaller than expected gathering because the sponsors failed to turn up.And I think having it on a Sunday night put a lot of people off. The groans from the well fedVarangians as they left the feasting hall attested to the sumptuousness of the spread.

Summation

The weather was great, the site is ideal, the participants are keen to do it again next year. We needto do other displays of medieval life. Maybe next year we can have a game of Knáttleikr or Kubb.

Next year

The financial success of this year's event is still unsure, however, there is a great deal of enthusiasmto run a two day event next year. All those involved with this year's event will be kept informed asto developments.

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This construction within a square appeared in Curiosités Géométriques, by E. Fourrey, published inParis in 1907. It is said to have been discovered in a 10th-century manuscript and is supposed tohave been originally the work of Archimedes. At least three slightly different versions of it haveappeared in modern puzzle books.

There are two known surviving manuscripts in fragmentary form attributed to Archimedes thatdescribe an ancient game that the Greeks called Stomachion. One of these is an Arabic translationand the other is a Constantinopolitan manuscript in Greek dating from the 10th century anddiscovered in1899 Mathematical symbols were recognized and the eminent Danish philologistJ.L.Heiberg, who had edited the works of Archimedes, Euclid and other Greek mathematicians wascontacted.

Heiberg went to Constantinople in 1906 to examine this document. What he found was a 10th

century palimpsest, a parchment containing works of Archimedes. The word palimpsest comes froma Greek term meaning "scraped again". Heiberg managed to decipher the manuscript and found thatit included a text of “The Method,'' a work of Archimedes previously thought lost.

The Greek manuscript attributed to Archimedes is incomplete and is concerned with determiningthe relationships of various angles of the pieces. In the 12th century, the text of a prayer book(horizontal) a Euchologion was written over the original Greek (vertical) See Figure 1. The Arabicmanuscript provides more information, describing a construction of the Stomachion anddetermining the areas of its pieces. There are other references to the game in ancient literature, ofwhich two refer to it in Latin as loculus Archimedius (Archimedes' box). The word Stomachion hasas its root the Greek word for the stomach (stovmakoV).

This interpretation is preferred by modernscholars than ostomachion (ostovmakion) 'abattle of bones' which is how Evelyn-Whitetranslates the word in the Loeb Ausonius 1.Stomachion is technically a dissection gamesimilar to the Chinese tangram but having 14rather than 7 pieces. The puzzle is also referredto as "syntemachion" in Latin texts.

Figure: 1 Archimedes Palimpsest - (Figure © Christie’s Images,New York.)

In October 1998, the Greek manuscriptcontaining some of Archimedes’s works, known

to scholars as the Archimedes Palimpsest, resurfaced from obscurity and sold at auction in NewYork for two million dollars. The private owner has agreed to make it available for research andpublication. The manuscript, shown in Figure 1, is a unique source of evidence for Archimedes’sthought. Among its many treasures is the only evidence we have for the treatise known as theMethod, in which physics and mathematics are combined by Archimedes.

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Figure: 2 Stomachion pieces layed out on a 12x12 grid. Figure: 3 Stomachion pieces as they would look whencut from hard material and layed out as a square.

That the Roman poet Ausonius (310-395 B.C.) writes explicitly of this puzzle for the first time inhis book, 'Liber XVII Cento nuptalis' suggests that it may have been a game of educated Romansand therefore Byzantines (See Figure 4.) The game consists of flat ivory or wooden polygonalshapes forming a square. The object of the game is to rearrange the pieces to form interesting thingspeople, animals and objects or with the jumbled pieces to reconstruct it back into a square.

Figure: 4 Stomachion pieces arranged in the form of anelephant. Ausonius compares the Stomachion to a form ofpoetry in which various meters are jumbled together.

The 10th century provenance of the Constantinopolitanmanuscript sets it nicely into our period of interest. Alovely pastime for an educated Byzantine to while awaythe time or teach to a visitor to the City.

References:

Dijksterhuis, E. J. Archimedes, Princeton U. P. (1987).An excellent source for information on Archimedes, including evidence for and against the anecdotes and legends.

Fourrey, E. Curiosités Géométriques. Paris, 1907.

Heiberg, J. L. Archimedis Opera (2nd ed.), Teubner, Leipzig (1910–1915).Lloyd, G. E. R. Demystifying Mentalities, Cambridge U. P. (1991)

Netz, R. The Shaping of Deduction in Greek Mathematics, Cambridge U. P. (1999).

1 Evelyn-White, H. G. trans. Ausonii opera omnia, 1919, Loeb, London, Volume II. Book XVIII.32 Series, No. 115 / 374 pages /reprinted by Harvard University Press, 1965-1968) ISBN 0-674-99127-3

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By Peter Raftos

Don’t you just hate it when you spend your hard earned money on a secondary source book only tofind out that the illustration you’ve used from it is just bloody wrong. I know I did - until I turned itall into a game to track down the original myself. Most notorious of all are those not inexpensivethings put out for wargamers and figure painters. Now let’s face it, what will be a passable job for a15 mm Byzantine, Rus or Norman contingent just doesn’t pass the muster at life size. Especiallywhen the secondary source is mistaken. The scholarship in some of these books tends to haveremained frozen in the ‘70s. An Italian academic, Dr Enrico Zanini, who Peter Beatson is trying tocontact, has recently released a work that gives an overview of the parlous state of Byzantinearchaeology and calls for modern and systematic approaches to the subject. We haven't found hiswork on sale anywhere yet and have had to rely on a book review to find out this much. Byzantine,and most other, medieval scholarship has marched on in the past 30 years but the publishers if notthe authors are happy to take our money and dish up the same old stuff.

One example is found in probably the most popular wargamers’ guide for ourperiod of interest “The Armies of the Dark Ages” by Ian Heath. He gives a nicepage full of shield patterns in the book. The Norman ones as far as I can tell arestraight from the Bayeaux Tapestry. (Normanophiles please correct me if I ammistaken.) Then he gives a selection of Byzantine shields - most taken from the13th C Skylitzes manuscript. One of these (on the left) Ihave christened ‘The Flying Monkey”. I don’t thinkyou’ll ever see anything like it outside of the Wizard ofOz.

Despite the original source for this pattern beingavailable to the general public for years it has remainedthe same in Heath’s book for decades. Steven Lowe,produced an excellent article for the erstwhile living

history fanzine “New Hedeby” where he correctly reproduced the patternfrom the 12th C original (see right). Far from Heath’s “Flying Monkey” it wassomething much more interesting - a big beastie attacking a smaller one. Iwas intrigued; Steve had bothered to go to the trouble of actually checking

the primary source or at least a copy of it. Aftershowing the source to our one of our members AngelaHein (who is also our artist in residence at Miklagard)she went out and reproduced the pattern on a shield – seeleft.

Now, compare this to the original. (The actual coloursare in brilliant enamels.)

We know now that the beastie is a vibrant purple/bluegriffin. (The primary source is on the right.)

As a result of this frustrating situation, I have to puttogether a small sampling of Byzantine shield patterns

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taken from primary sources. My intention is to give you the barest of information with the hopeyou’ll start tracking down primary sources yourselves. Hopefully you will not have seen all of theseyet.

This first pattern is actually the facial skin of the giant Goliath stretched overDavid’s shield and comes from the “Leo Casket”. I have only seen this 9th Civory clad casket in a black and white photo. The interesting thing about thiscasket is that it has figures of soldiers on it that Ian Heath claims areArmenians in his Osprey title ”Byzantine Armies 886 -1118 (Men-at-Arms89)”. Well that was one theory used in the 70’s to explain the uniqueness ofthe work but modern scholarship has since debunked this idea 1.

The next two patterns on small circularshields are taken from the so called“Menologion of Basil” 2. Unfortunately,again, in black and white and sadly, veryfew of the over 300 illuminations of this10th C document - which is perfect formy interests – are ever reproduced.

This oval shield from a 10th C ivory casket that is now monochrome may haveonce been gilt or painted.

Moving to the 11th C, on the right, is another oval shieldtaken from a facsimile of a Byzantine “Book of Kings” 3.The oval and crescent markings are coloured yellow andthe background on many of these shields is usually red orblue.

This final 11th C oval shield has a bluebackground, the perimeter is yellow asis the central spar and circle. The twogroups of five dots and the cauliflowerears are white.

Two more attractive patterns, usuallyred on a white background, come fromOctateuchs of the 11th C. They areheld by guardsmen in illuminationsthat depict the Gibeonites beforeJoshua.

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Those of you familiar with Graeme Walker’s shield will recognizethe next pattern on the left. His reverses the colour scheme of awhite base with rusty reddish decorations. The other pattern is takenfrom a 12th C fresco in Kastoria as is the one on the right. And thereare more…

The following shields come from a variety of manuscripts dated between 1150 and 1250 i. Thesemanuscripts are thought to be from a particular school of book illumination. All have redbackgrounds and the decorations, text and GT stripes are white. The scripts on all but the last havebeen variously identified as Armenian or Georgian. The last has a circular flourish of what lookslike pseudo – Kufic.

The two circular shields from these manuscripts are coloured the same way.

At a later date I hope to provide a more complete coverage of representations of Byzantine shieldpatterns. What can I say. Primary sources are little goldmines. I haven’t even touched the vast rangeof frescos, icons or enamels let alone later sources like the Skylitzes Manuscript. I hope I havegiven you a little inspiration to get out there and do your own research. There is so much moreavailable than thirty year old secondary sources.

__________________________1 Cutler, Anthony Late Antique and Byzantine Ivory Carving Variorum Collected Studies Series CS617VariorumISBN: 0-86078-683-8 215 b/w illustrations Hardback 1998 320 pages – See chapter 10.2 Codex Vat. Gr. 1613, 10th C. circa 9853 Lassus, Jean. 1973 L’Illustration Byzantine du Livre Des Rois: Vaticanus Graecus 333. EditionsKlinchsieck, (Bibliotheque des Cahiers Archeologiques IX). Cloth, quarto, 88 pp. + 36 plates (126figures)1 Weyl-Carr, Annemarie, Byzantine Illumination 1150–1250: The Study of a Provincial Tradition (University ofChicago Press, 1987)

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������������ ����� ����By Graeme Walker

Occasionally I have come across images of a golden handled sabre, which tradition asserts was thatof the Frankish king, and later emperor, Charlemagne. This seemed odd, as his late 8th – early 9th

century, western European situation didn’t really fit with sabres, though he had campaigned as fareast as Austria. About the start of 1995, I came across a cryptic reference to where this artefact,completely intact and with scabbard, was located, and decided to ask the custodians, theKunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, about it.

Historical backgroundInformation about the sabre is minimal. Nicolle, in “Arms and armour of the Crusading era”, datesit to c.950 - 1025AD, and thought it was most likely made in southern Russia, or less likely,Hungary. He thought that it may have been sent to the German Empire from Russia in 1075AD.

The guide to the collections, at the Kunsthistorisches museum suggests that it was most probablycreated in the first half of the 10th century. It says the decoration is similar to finds from southernRussia, but also to those from post conquest Hungary, the Carpathian basin, and the east Europeansteppes. Associations of the weapon with Attila the Hun, Haroun el Rashid, or Charlemagne, areunfounded.

According to Anthony North, in “Swords and Hilted Weapons”, the sabre was probably made inRussia or east Europe, during the 9th century. It has features in common with near eastern, Islamicswords dating to the early 9th century. He also records the story that the sabre may have been givento a German prince by the widow of King Andras of Hungary, for helping her son to regain thethrone in 1063.

The exhibition catalogue, "The ancient Hungarians", suggests that the sabre was most probablymade in the early 10th century, in a Hungarian workshop. Arguments for an alternateKeiv/Russian/Viking origin are based on the animal fight decoration, found on the inlaid blade,which appears to contain Scandinavian influence. However, at this time, swords not sabres, werethe dominant weapon in Kiev. The sabre conforms to numerous other sabre finds within Hungary,and the interlace and palmette decoration of the handle, cross guard and scabbard are all within theHungarian native style.

Dr Trnek, of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, advised that, for its subsequent history, it is not knownwhen the sabre became a part of the regalia of the Holy Roman Emperor. The earliest positiveidentification is a painting dated to 1654. This is a portrait of Charlemagne by Adam Bommert,which shows the sabre on his belt. It is not known how much earlier the sabre may have beenassociated with Charlemagne. It was in the cathedral of Aachen, with other regalia, from at least1654 to 1798, was hidden from troops of the French revolution, and since 1800 has been held in theViennese World Treasure room.

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Contact with ViennaFrom the book “Swords and Hilted Weapons”, came the all important information about the sabre’slocation, and some cataloguing detail that could be used to identify it. Full address details camefrom a directory at the State Library. Not knowing anything about the Kunsthistorisches collection,I sent a letter, identified from where my information had come, enclosed a photocopy of the sabre,and asked for any assistance or information that the museum could supply me about the artefact. Iwas particularly keen to know how the cross guard was constructed, and already a little suspiciousthat the blade form was unusual for its type.

After several weeks, a small bundle of papers from Dr Trnek in Vienna turned up in my letterbox.They included some very detailed photocopies of the weapon, a page of sketches showing how thecross guard was constructed, a description of the artefact in English, from the illustrated guide to thetreasuries, and a personal letter in a language I couldn’t read. Fortunately a work colleague, whounderstood German, agreed to translate. However he found the combination of medieval Germanterms, used to describe technical components and concepts, too difficult, and passed the letter on toa specialist, whose name I unfortunately no longer have. When translated, the letter gave somehistory of the artefact, together with answers to my questions on dimensions, the cross guard, andfurther examples of sabres.

The artefactThe length of the sabre is 90.5cm, and its weight is 730 grams. The blade is steel with partiallygilded copper inlay. The handle is of wood, covered in fish skin, with gold cladding over the ends.

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Across the middle of the handle are three rings, made of gilt silver and containing precious stones.They are said to be late medieval repairs to the handle. The cross guard is of iron, and is covered bygold cladding.

The cross guardDr Trnek’s sketches indicate an iron cross guard, something akin to a frame. Two long sides arebent around the handle, and secured by two short bars, that keep all rigid. The two long barscontinue beyond, and probably join at the end of the cross guard where a knob is formed. This is notcertain, as the “frame” is obscured by the gold cladding and some red sealing wax, which alsomakes it impossible to see how the cross guard is connected to the handle and blade.

The cross guard is covered by decorated gold sheet, held in place by small gold rivets. The gold isloose, through age, and pivots around one of the rivets for about 2mm, on the centre of the rightside. The cladding is open or slightly damaged on the face of the cross guard closest to the blade,allowing a partial view of construction. It is apparently more intact on the face towards the pommel,though the view looking down the handle towards the blade appears to show an open workconstruction with gaps between the handle and the cladding that covers the cross guard.

In common with a number of other sabres, this one has a slight, diamond or 4 leaf shaped projectionon the centre left of the cross guard. A join in the gold cladding is obvious across the centre of theright face. The cross guard is decorated in palmettes and interlace.

The handleThis extends from within the cross guard, to the pommel. The wooden core is covered by fish skin.The broad, flattened area in contact with the cross guard, is covered in gold sheet. It is decoratedwith palmettes and interlace, and a large rivet secures it, and the wooden core, to the tang.

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The end of the handle towards the pommel, remains flat, and narrows. Abruptly, it widens in severaldirections, producing an almost egg shaped pommel. This is most likely wood with gold cladding,rather than anything weightier. It also, is secured through the handle, by a large rivet.

Along the two narrow sides of the handle, joining the cladding at both ends of the handle, are twothin strips of gold. As with the rest of the handle, they are visibly decorated with interlace, andpossibly palmettes.

The three rings bound around the handle at a later date are said to be repairs. When this was done,and what damage was repaired, is unknown, but they are not part of the original weapon.

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The bladeThe blade is c. 76 cm long. It narrows to a square shouldered tang abruptly, at the cross guard. It hasa single curved cutting edge, and an extensive back blade covering two thirds of the total bladelength. A fuller extends to within a few centimetres of the point, and is filled with applied golddecoration. The background of this decoration is filled with punch marks, as is the gold on thehandle and the cross guard, but the decorative motifs are quite different. They are described in “TheAncient Hungarians”, as animal fights.

The scabbardThe scabbard is 86.5 cm long, and at 650 grams, approaches the weight of the sabre itself. It ismade of leather covered wood. The lower half of the scabbard has been enclosed in undecoratedgold sheet. Possibly another repair.

The tip of the scabbard is formed by an egg shaped expansion, complementing the pommel of theweapon. The tip is covered in gold cladding, with the same decorative theme as the handle, andextends c. 10cm up the scabbard and over the plain gold sheeting.

There are two mounting points, for attachment to a belt or suspension harness. Each of these areclad in gold, and continue the decorative theme of the handle, cross guard and scabbard tip. Aborder of punched dots, not obvious on any of the other gold decorated areas, has been introducedas a part of the design. The mount nearest the mouth of the scabbard has been extended to reinforcethe mouth. At some stage this has been damaged, and the gold cladding has been squashed down bythe cross guard. The mounting points take the form of sheets that wrap around the scabbard in alarge loop, and rejoin at the upper side. Two rivets through each mount are presumably where theywould join the suspension straps. From other examples of these mounting points, we know that themetal sheeting doesn’t carry all the way around. It only covers the surface facing away from thewearer of the scabbard.

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Re creating the sabreThere was no way of knowing how successful my application to the museum would be, so evenbefore the receipt of a reply, I had determined to create a sabre, based on the information Ipossessed. I cross checked Nicolle's line drawing against several photos of the artefact, and found itaccurate. I then photographically enlarged the drawing to about life size. As this was to be aninterpretation rather than an exact replica, it was more important to make the weapon conform tomy hand size and height. As it turned out, both the weight and the total length of the new sabre werealmost exactly the same as the original.

The curved blade was cut from spring steel as a curve, rather than cold forged into shape. As it wasto be used in re enactment combat, the tip and cutting edges had to be rounded. About 35mm cameoff the tip of the template to achieve this, so my template must have been slightly larger than lifesized, but the result did not spoil the visual appeal of the blade shape. I made one other change. Thetemplate indicated a waisted blade, from the cross guard down to the back blade. This was a third ofthe entire blade, and reduced the width of the blade to c.20 mm in an area where maximum strengthwas needed. It was likely that the original weapon had been created from thicker steel than thegauge I was using. I was also concerned about the sharp corner formed where the waisted blade metthe back blade. While its inclusion would be accurate, it posed a possible safety problem for reenactors.At that point in time, I had not seen many pictures of early sabres, so referred again to Nicolle's linedrawings. Most of the sabres had no waisted mid section. The blades were almost parallel sided,narrowing very gradually, and curving more at the point. A number of them had the back of theblade sharpened for a short distance, extending to the point, but the cutting edge did not rise out ofthe body of the blade. These examples provided the solution.

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A fuller was cut into the blade using a hand held grinder, very carefully, and the resultant gougeswere hand filed until smooth.

A semi pistol grip handle was carved from wood, using the Charlemagne sabre's handle as a guide.Soft leather was soaked in water, then smoothed and shaped onto the wood to give a close fit. Thepart of the handle under the cross guard was carefully designed as a series of wedges. As it widenedto meet the blade in one plane, it narrowed in the other. The narrow plane widened as it stretchedback to the pommel, while the wide plane narrowed. This was important for attaching the crossguard. The handle was attached to the blade with 3 rivets.

The cross guard was made of two small, steel plates. Riveted at the two extremities, these platessandwiched the lower handle. The tension in the two flat plates, being compressed over the handle,was sufficient to hold the cross guard in place, and because the handle expanded in two differentdirections, the cross guard was prevented from slipping up or down the handle. It did not need arivet to hold it to the handle and blade, but did tilt occasionally, when it was knocked. Eventuallythe handle, and cross guard assembly, was replaced with a professional job. No attempt was madeto reproduce the lavish decoration of the sabre.

In use, I have found the light weight and shaped handle very comfortable. The balance point isprobably closer to the handle than on the original, due to the modifications made to the blade.

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ConclusionFrom examples in more recent books, and those photographed by friends overseas, it is apparentthat the Charlemagne sabre conforms to a general type. It is the most ornate, and best preserved,example of a light sabre that was common to eastern Europe towards the close of the firstmillennium. I would like to thank Dr H. Trnek of the Kunsthistorisches Museum for his assistancewith detailed information, and Gary O’Connell for providing the translation from the originalGerman.

Bibliography

Swords and hilted weapons, by M. Coe and others. NMB Multimedia Books:London. 1993.The ancient Hungarians; exhibition catalogue. Ed. I. Fodor. Hungarian National Museum:Budapest.1996.Correspondence with Dr. H. Trnek, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. 1995.Nicolle, D. Arms and armour.of the crusading era; 1050 – 1350. Kraus International:White Plains,N.Y. 1988.

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By Jenny Baker

General reconstruction notes:

For a long time I had wanted to reconstruct a Fur Lined Rus Kaftan and when I fortunate to get aMink Coat at the reasonable sum of $2.00, I decided to attempt it.

For the style of Kaftan, I used the research information that Peter Beatson has written on his RusKaftan and the pattern that he used in producing it, as this lent itself to an easy adaptation of themink coat.

For documented examples of original Fur Lined Kaftans I have included the following examples:

• 8th–10th century, Caucasus Kaftan, Caucasus Mountain regions made of Silk, linen, and fur;in the Met Museum

• 16th century Fur lined Kaftan Palace attire and garments: The costumes of the Sultans• 2nd Half of 16th century Fur-lined Kaftan The Ottoman Period AD 1299-1923 Topkapi

Palace Museum 13/35

Reconstruction Materials:

− Mink Coat− Blue Wool− Bronze buttons 12 originals found in a 10th cent. grave at Välsgärde, Sweden. Obtained from

Birka Traders.

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Method of Construction:

− The Mink Coat had its lining removed and the side seams where undone to allow the side goresto be inserted

− The Blue wool outer covering was hand sewn together, then sewn to the mink coat at everyseam working from the inner most seams out to outer seams

− The Braiding has been hand done on a Snodgafl (Lucet)− Hand sewed on the Buttons

The Style of the Kaftan

Research Info and Pattern Used : Peter Beatson's Kaftan pattern

Numerous grave finds show that fashions in clothing and jewellery were transmitted from steppenomad cultures (eg. Khazars) to Eastern Scandinavia, via the Russian principality centered in Kiev,during the Viking period (Jansson 1986; 1988). These include metal buttons, appliques, and braidspresumed to come from a front-opening coat or kaftan (perhaps ultimately derived from a Persianriding coat like those found in Antiné, Egypt: Gervers 1983), sometimes found in association withbelts of the type familiar from nomadic art and archaeological finds. It has been suggested thatgarments of these types were awarded by the Russian prince to persons of rank (Hägg 1983a;Roesdahl and Wilson 1992).

The costume was based almost entirely on archaeological finds from Scandinavia and 'Varangian'settlements in Russia. All seams were hand sewn, the types of seams used are those known fromsurviving Viking Age garments and fragments (Fentz 1987a; Hägg 1974; Hald 1980; Walton 1989).Fabrics and threads of natural fibre (silk, wool or linen) were chosen to match the archaeologicalfinds as best as possible. Metal items were made by cire perdue casting (from wax models).

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The collar has been mounted as a 'standing collar' similar to those of surviving intact garments ofAlan burials of the 8-9th centuries from Mostchevaya Balka, in the Caucasus (Ierusalimskaja 1996).Graham-Campbell (1980) considered the collar to be a cloak trimming, though no supportingevidence is provided for this conclusion- perhaps as no buttons were recovered from grave 15

However, kaftans without buttons were proposed in some Birka graves (Hägg 1986), and theMostchevaya Balka kaftans had loop and buttons made entirely of fabric. Twelve cast bronzebuttons were found in grave 12. Identical or similar buttons have been found in numerous malegraves, notably in Birka, Sweden (Arbman 1940-3; Avdusin and Puskina 1988; Geijer 1938; Hägg1986; Jansson 1988). They are usually found in a row (4-24 buttons) down the centre of the chest tothe waist.

Apparently, apart from the cuffs, no metal braids or appliques like those found on the Birka kaftanswere present in the Välsgarde 12 grave, therefore the buttons have been mounted on a strip of silk,as known from the 10th century chamber grave Dn-4 at Gnezdovo, Ukraine (Avdusin and Puskina1988).

The basic material of the kaftan was usually wool of various weaves, including twills (Hägg 1986).Viking Age woolen fabrics were usually worsted, ie. the fabric was not fulled (a process similar tofelting) and the nap was not raised, giving a smooth appearance with a visible weave.

The buttons were based on those of the Valsgärde 12 find (opcit.: pers. obs. 1994).

Buttons

Hand Made by Birka TradersDescription: Bronze button, 12 originals found in a10th cent. grave at Välsgärde, Sweden.From 4 up to 45 buttons were used to fasten the kaftanadopted by eastward - travelling Swedes and Rus'.Size: Diameter 10 mm

Examples of Original Fur Lined Kaftans

Caftan, 8th–10th centuryCaucasus Mountain regionsSilk, linen, and fur; Coat: H. 56 in. (142.2 cm), W. 60in. (152.4 cm); Leggings: H. 32 in. (81.3 cm)Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1996 (1996.78.1)The original linen coat (caftan), preserved in part fromthe neck to the bottom of the hem, is made of finelywoven linen.A decorative strip of large-patterned silk is sewn alongthe exterior and interior edges of the caftan. A minutefragment of lambskin preserved as the caftan's interiorattests to its fur lining.The woven patterns on the silk borders of the caftaninclude motifs such as the rosettes and stylised animalpatterns enclosed within beaded roundels, which were

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widespread in Iranian and Central Asian textiles of the sixth to ninth century. The colours used inthe textile include a now-faded dark blue, yellow, red, and white on a dark brown ground. Thedecorated silk fabrics are a compound twill weave (samit in modern classification) and the body ofthe garment is plain-weave linen. Two slits running up the back of the caftan make it particularlysuitable as a riding costume.

Fur lined kaftan16th century

Palace attire and garmentsThe costumes of the Sultans

Fur-lined Kaftan2nd Half of 16th century

The Ottoman PeriodAD 1299-1923

Topkapi Palace Museum 13/35

References:• Peter Beatson's Rus Kaftan

− http://users.bigpond.net.au/quarfwa/miklagard/Costume/Rus/Trader/Rus_main.htm− http://users.bigpond.net.au/quarfwa/miklagard/Costume/Rus/Trader/Rus_description.htm− http://users.bigpond.net.au/quarfwa/miklagard/Costume/Rus/Trader/kaftan_text.htm− http://users.bigpond.net.au/quarfwa/miklagard/Costume/Rus/Trader/references.htm

• Peter Beatson's Kaftan pattern− http://users.bigpond.net.au/quarfwa/miklagard/Costume/Rus/Trader/kaftan_pattern.htm

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection of Ancient Near Eastern Art− http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/department.asp?dep=3

• Birka Traders - Rus Jewellery Catalogue− http://www.birkatraders.com/catalog/rus.htm

• Palace attire and garments: The costumes of the Sultans− http://www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/~history/costume.html

• Interactive Museum of Turkey− http://interactive.m2.org/anatolia/osmanli/RMO227-347.html

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������������������ ���������������By Graeme Anderson

This article provides some more insights following on from Steven Lowe's 'The ByzantineKavadion' in the last issue, Two forms of armour from areas of Turkish, Mongol and Arab influencefit the appearance of the Kavadion:

The Jazerant, in one of the older senses, with smalloverlapping plates riveted between two layers ofquilted fabric, this would explain the use ofpteruges and other protection for the arms and legs.A diamond quilt pattern with gilt rivet heads in thecentre is not unusual in existing examples (notmuch older than the 17th century). The look and'cut' of the Kavadion is very like the British 'Jack-of-Plates' cuirass, with it's short sleeves or skirts.These are first mentioned in the 14th century. Thedifference between the Jazerant and 'Jacks' is theform of attachment of the plates. On the Jazerant,the plates are sewn in place by a trellis pattern ofcords through the hole in each plate and the cordsalso from the quilting. Jacks are described as 2-3layers of quilted cloth, between which were sewnsmall crudely cut, overlapping iron plates of 3 -4cm and pierced with a hole in the centre for cordstiching. They are usually faced with a densematerial such as canvas or leather. With theJazerant of course, the quilting and plateattachments are independent. 16th C Scots border 'Jack of Plates', gives a

comparison of the general look.

As Steven Lowe says that in India and the Middle East, thick quilted armour studded with 'gilt nails'(actually rivets?) was common in the 18th - 19th centuries. The simplest pattern was a diamondtrellis with nails at the centre of each. Minatures of Mughal/Timurid times and central AsianTurkish minatures from the 15th century on, seem to depict fully developed brigandine (platesriveted between textile, but no quilting) much like that of Western Europe. These could also depictother sorts of armour, such as discussed, which would look the same from the outside.

All of these examples are more modern than the Kavadion, but methods were already spread acrossEurasia from the Mediterranean to China by the late Middle Ages.

From an Archaeological point of view the actual textile would need to survive to be able distinguishearlier Jazerant from scale armour. Collections of small plates, with one or two hols in the middle,have been found from the eastern migration period and are quite reasonably described as scale.Though some of the early Bulgar and Turkic art suggests a pattern for the 'Kavadion' style ofarmour.

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By Jeremy Draper

When I was in South Korea in August 2003, I visited quite a few of the National Museums. I foundit very interesting to note, not the differences of Korean arms and armour, but the similarity of thearms and armour to its European & Middle Eastern equivalents.

The most stunning of the suits of armour I saw was on display in theNational War Memorial, Seoul. This suit dates from around the 4th or 5th

Century in the Three Kingdom Period and is probably of BaekjeKingdom origin.The Koreans divide their historical past into four major periods:

• Three Kingdom Period (18BC – 668AD), when Korea wasdivided into three major kingdoms: Baekje, Silla and Goguryeo

• Unified Silla (pronounced Shilla) Kingdom (668 – 914)• Goryeo Kingdom (918 – 1392)• Joseon (or Choseon) Kingdom (1392 – 1910)

Whilst influenced by it’s trading relationships with China and Japan, theKorean Peninsula developed in it’s own quite unique way. Not until thesuccessful Japanese invasion in the early 16th C, was Korea forced toadopt foreign customs. Even under the short rule of the Mongols in the12th C, the Koreans were self-governing (such as occurred in many partsof Russia during the same period). When the Japanese were againexpelled, Korea quickly reasserted it’s own customs and ways.The museums in Korea provide a small amount of information in English,there is usually a plaque with a small essay in Korean and a note inEnglish (in this case “Three Kingdom Period (82BC – 660AD). Probably4th C or 5th C. Made of Iron”). Even so a lot can be gathered from thedetail of the actual display.The entire suit of iron lames is laced with leather thronging to leatherbacking. It is interesting to note that all of the lames have been stampedwith a borderline. The pattern for the lames is exactly the same as formany of the Middle Eastern and European finds. Square at one end with asingle hole, rounded at the opposite end with two small holes verticallyaligned and two sets of vertically aligned holes on the middle edges.A later find, from the Anapji Pond in the ancient Silla capital ofKyongju (Gyongju), shows very similar construction. However inthis find (around 8th-9thC) the plates are roughly cut, rather thanrounded at the ends and use considerably more lacing holes. Thevariance in the shape of the lames (some are straight, some tapertowards the point and some taper away from the point) is probablyto enable tailoring of the suit, to achieve a more comfortable ortighter fit. The presence of hole in the centre of the lames suggeststhat these were of the hanging type. As the Anapji Pond was partof a Royal Palace, one can surmise that the lames belonged to amember of the Royal Guard or the Royal Household and are thusrepresentative of armour belonging to the wealthy.

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The high metal collar on this suit suggests that it is for the use of acavalryman. This type of collar would be to stop spears and other polearms used by foot soldiers, from skipping of the armour and going intothe face. If this is a footman's outfit, the collar would stop cuts to theneck and head. This collar, which is revetted together, also has leatherthronging laced laterally through its entire width. Despite the clear gapbetween the two collars, it appears that the lamellar collar beneath

should be attached via thislacing to the bottom of highcollar, although this does notexplain the other three rows oflacing. The reconstruction of thehorseman right shows no gap atall.

The generally accepted wisdom regarding lamellar is that if it were constructed for a cavalryman, itwould be laced with the lames overlapping the opposite way up. This then suggests that the suit maybe for a footman. Interestingly though, the lames on the reconstruction are overlapping in the samemanner as the Baekje suit. The plaque attached to this reconstruction said “Three Kingdom or EarlySilla Period”, putting it at the late 7th or early 8th C, a couple of hundred years after the Baekje suit.

One can assume that the lamellar collar is tied or buckled behindthe neck and floats freely over the torso protection. The highcollar is a solid construction (demonstrated by the folded metaledging around the top).The helm is a four-piececonstruction, with thepieces directly rivetedtogether. The top of thehelm has a spike, muchlike those of the Rus. Theleather backed lamellaraventail is laced to thehelm.

A slightly fancier quartered helm from the Palhae Kingdom(698 AD – 926 AD, the area in the very north of NorthKorea), shows a similar type of construction. Both thesehelms look incredibly similar, both is style and method ofconstruction, to the various Eastern European and MiddleEastern finds.

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The arm pieces are separate to the torso protection and laced to theshoulders along the entire width of the piece. I was unfortunately unableto see the construction of the shoulder area of the torso protection.I would suggest that the construction of this suit is an interpretation bythe staff of the museum. Considering the date of the suit, it is likely thatit was only the metal scales that had survived. This may explain theproblems with the gap in the collar and the choice of the scalesoverlapping downwards. Without seeing pictures of the actual dig, onecan only assume that they have constructed the suit in the correctmanner.

The presence the metal scale belt around the waist area, suggests that there is an unarmoured sectionbelow. These scales are much larger than the lames, which fits with needing to cover a reasonablywide section of plain leather. One can fairly safely assume that this is where the belt is worn. A suitthis heavy would need to distribute the weight as evenly as possible, additionally if the wearer is tohave any mobility at the waist there needs to be an area of pliable material at the waist. It is hard totell if the torso and skirt are integral or separate, however considering how the suit sits (a verysimilar manner to my leather lamellar, on which the skirt is integral) I would suggest it is integral. Itis also worth noting that the lames just above the belt have been reversed (overlapping up), so thatthe belt can move smoothly over the torso section when bending at the waist.

It is the full lamellar legs that make this suit so different to any finds orpictures I have seen out of Europe or the Middle East. It can only beassumed that the leggings are attached to a belt around the waist,presumably buy ties or buckles. Considering the weight that would beinvolved, you would expect the attachment to be fairly substantial. It is theconstruction of the leggings and the lack of a split in the front/back of theskirt, that suggests most strongly that this is the armour of a foot soldier.

The lamellar wraps almost entirely around the leg, leaving only an ~5cmor so gap on the inside of the leg. The lamellar is tied together in threeplaces, first up near the to of the thigh. You can see this just under thehem of the skirt, you can also see that the leggings are shaped to fit inthis area, by the tapering lames. The second place is near the top of theknee and the third, just above the ankle.Anyone who has ridden a horsewould be able to tell you that theseleggings would be a very poordesign for a horseman. If theywere designed to ride a horse thegap on the inside of the legs wouldbe much larger (~15 – ~20 cm).

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The reconstruction of the horseman earliershows the use of greaves rather thanleggings. The leg greaves on the left arefrom the Three Kingdom Period, probably5th C (about the same time period as thelamellar suit). They do up around theankle and are hinged. The hinges can beeseen clearly on the pair of sheet silver leggreaves from Hwangnamdaechong (5th C)(below, right).A pair of vambraces, would likely havebeen worn as part of the lamellar suit, as

shown in the suit to the right. The.vambraces to theleft are of similar construction to the greaves, buthave longer enclosure to go around the forearm. Likethe greaves, this section is hinged and buckles on theinside of the forearm

The lamellar suit to the right (in the National Museum of Korea, Seoul) isfrom around the same period as the one in the National War Memorial. Thelames on this suit are of the hanging type and overlap upwards. This suit isdefinitely a footman’s outfit and it is worth noting that the collar is stillpresent. The high metal collar seems to be attached to the lame collar by aleather strip. The leggings on this suit are of two-piece construction and theskirt is separate from the torso protection.

When you consider the weight of this stylearmour, it’s hard to imagine how the horsesmanaged when you add barding. The suit to theleft is from around the 4th C. This suit is ironscales sewn to a leather backing. The faceplate isbeaten from a single sheet of iron.

Although these suits of armour are from much earlier than many of the samestyles from Europe and the Middle East, the similarities with them isunmistakable. It goes to show that when making war, we all find the bestway to protect ourselves.

Bibliography:

National Museum of Korea, Spleandors of Korean Culture, YemaekPublishing Co., 2001Gyeongju National Museum, Archeology Hall, Tongcheon Publishing Co.,2002Gyeongju National Museum, Anapji Hall, Tongcheon Publishing Company,2002Time & Space Tech Co. Ltd, Korean Cultural Heritage 2 – Seen throughPictures and Names, Park Ki-seok, 2002

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