Fencing in Autumn & Unboxing a Medieval Sword

Dear fellow sword enthusiasts, archaeologists, and historical martial artists,

Autumn has arrived, which means the Ribe Bouts and the Berlin Buckler Bouts are just around the corner. Details on how to join are below. Also in today’s newsletter: the rediscovery and documentation of a mighty sword from a Late Slavic burial in the Prignitz district of Brandenburg. I hope you find it an enjoyable read.

Join the Ribe Bouts, 18–20 October 2024

This event merges the practice of historical martial arts with a full-time living history experience. This format has already been successfully established in Hedeby, Bärnau, and Trelleborg over the past few years, and now you have the opportunity to be part of it. Accommodation in the museum’s wonderful houses is limited, but a few spots are still available. If you’d like to join us, let me know by replying to this email as soon as possible.

For those of you who have already signed up, please send me your signed waivers if you haven’t done so yet.

All forms and further information can be found here.

Learn more about the Ribe Viking Centre on their website.

Join the 22nd Berlin Buckler Bouts, 23/24 November 2024

You are warmly invited to sign up for an action-packed weekend of sword and buckler fencing with practitioners from around the globe. Ralf Schötzau, the Twerchhau team, and I are looking forward to fencing and celebrating with you at this vibrant and dedicated international event.

BBB XII info and forms are available here.

Unboxing a 900-Year-Old Sword

Last week, I received a call from Sebastian Lossin (on the right), a veteran Viking re-enactor involved in the preservation of archaeological monuments and remains in Brandenburg. He informed me that Anja Pöpplau, director of the City and Regional Museum in Perleberg (in the centre with a nice wooden sword), had recently tracked down a forgotten treasure: a sword that had been excavated near Klüß some 50 years ago. Sebastian asked if I’d be interested in being present when the mysterious box was opened—and of course, I was!

The following day, I made my way to Perleberg, hoping we’d find more than just rust and dust in that box. Fortunately, we did. I even had the opportunity to document the weapon, which turned out to be a Geibig combination type 18, strikingly similar to swords I’d seen in Rostock and Brandenburg an der Havel. Two of those came from Late Slavic elite burials, and according to the excavation notes, this is also the case for the sword discussed here. Both the type and the find context suggest a 12th-century date, likely between 1100 and 1150.

I’ll share more details in due course. If you’re a fan of my full-scale sword illustrations, you might like to know that I’ve recently started making them available in my Patreon shop. I’ll be adding more swords soon—there are over 50 in my archives!

So, that's it for today. Take care, and keep your blade well-honed.

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Yours,

Roland

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