Archaeometallurgical investigation to metal inlays of some Late Bronze Age Auvernier type swords

Abstract

The article deals with three swords of the Auvernier type which dating to the late Urnfield Culture (Ha B3) in Central Europe. In comparison to other examples of this group of weapons the three pieces are inlaid with metal plates in large cavities on their handles. Chemical analyses show that these plates on the two swords from Auvernier, Switzerland and Nächstenbach, Germany are made from pure copper, whereas the inlay in the sword from Dessau-Kühnau, Germany is a tin bronze; this material was formerly thought to be organic. In all three cases, the metal inlays were only fixed with rivets in the cast cavities. Therefore, this type of decoration can not be described as a real damascening as is the case of the inlaid iron strips on the pommel of the sword from Dessau. For the inlay technique applied on the large cavities on all three swords, the creation of the term «rivet-damascening» seems to be appropriate.