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ROMAN RING-POMMELED SWORD FROM
CRVENO POLE, N. MACEDONIA
Errikos Maniotis
PhD candidate in Byzantine Archaeology, Masaryk University, Brno
riecos4@gmail.com
Vane P. Sekulov
Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments and Museum Strumica
v.p.sekulov@gmail.com
Key words:
sword, ring-pommel, typology, Crveno Pole, Roman
Abstract
During the archaeological excavations in the site of Crveno Pole located on Ograzden Mountain, in
the utmost southeast corner of the Republic of North Macedonia near the North Macedonian-Bulgar-
ian border, a very signifi cant type of sword was discovered, among other specimens. The sword was
found in the grave n. 72, which is dated in the 2nd-3rd c. A.D. The sword belongs to the ring-pommel
typology with a cross-guard. The paper deals with the typological analysis of the sword, which lead
us also to export some vital conclusions about the origin of the sword. The special constructive struc-
ture of the hilt leads us to connect the ring-pommeled sword with the roman manufacture tradition.
Introduction: The ring-pommeled sword (fi g.
1) was discovered in an excavation, which had
been conducted back in 2004 and the conserva-
tion process began immediately. In 2007, he was
exposed as a rarity in the government in Skopje,
in the o ce of the Prime Minister. It remained
there until a few years ago and is now on display
at the Archaeological Museum in Skopje along
with another set of weapons from the Crveno Pole
necropolis.
The sword (fi g. 2) was found in the grave n. 72
together with two ceramic loom weighs. It is dated
in the 2nd-3rd c. A.D. In the case of this burial,
we are dealing with the custom of cremation. In
contrast to the other graves, where the weapons
were found intentionally damaged either bent,
the sword from the grave n. 72 was found intact.
Concerning the fi rst case, according to Vane Seku-
lov, this practice manifested that the deceased
was entering a better and a more peaceful world,
away from the violence of the present society
(Sekulov 2011, 240).
Fig.1, sword type Ringknaufschwert.
85TIBERIOPOLITANI vol. 4
With its origins in the Bronze Age, one of the
most mysterious phenomena in Iron Age Europe
is the practice of ‘’Killing the Objects’’, the delib-
erate bending, breaking or otherwise deforming
of weapons and other artifacts before depositing
them in burials or as votive o erings at religious
sanctuaries (Megaw 2003, 61-67).
The ritual of Killing the Objects appears on
the Balkans with the Celtic east-wards expan-
sion of the late 4
th
– 3
rd
c. B.C., with numerous
examples recorded from Celtic burials stretching
from the Adriatic Sea in the west to the Black Sea
in the east. This practice was a common one in
Thrace with examples of ‘killed’ weapons having
been recorded in numerous Celtic warrior burials
discovered on the territory of today’s Bulgaria,
ranging from the 3rd c. B.C. (Tapavički-Ilić & Fil-
ipović 2011, 458-523).
A particular high concentration of burials with
‘killed’ weapons comes from Scordisci territory
in north-central and north-western Bulgaria.
The latest recorded evidence of this practice
comes from the Stara Planina (Balkan) moun-
tains of central Bulgaria where the ritual is to
be observed at sites such as Taja (Stara Zagora
reg.) (Kisyov 1990, 66-70), where ritually killed
La Têne swords and other Celtic weapons have
been found in burials dating to the 3
rd
-4
th
c. A.D.,
indicating that in certain parts of Thrace some
Celtic groups retained their independence and
identity into the late Roman period (Domaradski
1993, 267-276).
Why were swords bent? Obviously, this is the
most di cult question to answer in a coherent
and defi nitive manner. Some researchers mention
that this practice was due to practical reasons
because long weapons like swords were too big
to fi t the pit of the cremation graves. Moreover,
making the weapon impossible to be used by
destroying it, would prevent a possible robbery
of the grave where the aim would be to take away
the valuable weaponry (Pinter 2001, 56-58).
Another interpretation relates the sword with
the supernatural and magical powers which may
possess. In this case the sword being considered
an extension of the warrior’s arm during the battle
and thus being part of his body which, together
with the body, was consequently ‘‘killed’’ (Rus-
toiu 2008, 91).
Apparently, ritually bend swords are not only
connected with the Celtic people, but also with
Dacians and the Germanic people (Popa 2008,
359-365 and Shchukin 1989, 28). The provincial
Roman world was also familiar with these funer-
ary practices. In a cremation grave from Neeritter,
in the Netherlands, probably belonging to a vet-
eran of an auxiliary unit, buried in the manner
of the local ritual, and dated to the 1st century
A.D., the sword was intentionally bent (Roymans
1996, 35). The ritual bending of weapons put in
graves proves to be a habit of the funerary rituals
extending in various regions over a considerable
period as represented in various cultures.
Typochronological analysis: The sword has a
double-edged blade, with an elliptical cross-sec-
tion. The blade is thin, but it is the result of
corrosion. The total length of the sword is 68 cm.
The length of the blade is 53 cm, and the handle
is 13,8 cm. The width of the blade is 3,7-2,5 cm.
The thickness is of the handle is 0.3 cm and the
thorn is 1x0.4 to 1x1 cm. The length of the cross-
bar is 6.9 cm while the cross section is 1.1x1.1-1.8
Fig.2, Gushterova chukarka, Grave 72.
86 ACTA MUSEI
cm. Finally, the bracelet dimensions are 5.8 - 5
cm and the cross section is 1x1 cm. The sword
was longer, wider, and thicker. The junction is
obliquely placed, with a square cross-section
extending where the handle enters.
The handle consists of two parts: a bottom
that protrudes directly from the blade and has
a rectangular cross-section; and an upper part
ending in an elliptical ring with a rhomboid
cross-section and spherical sides. The two parts
are folded and joined with three rivets. The bone
marrow is not preserved.
To begin with, the origin of the ring-shaped
pommel as a decorative or perhaps functional
element in swords or daggers can be traced back
to the Scythians and Huns and even further to
the Chinese Han Dynasty from where it spread
among the Central Asian steppe people (Seyrig
1937, 30). During the Middle Sarmatian Period
(1st-century B.C.-1st century A.D.) the majority of
the short swords, with a length measured between
50-60 cm, that have been excavated, bear a ring
pommel (fi g. 3). Ring pommel swords are also
observed from north Caucasus to the Black Sea
(Trousdale 1975, 104). The earliest representa-
tions of such weapons are traced on Crimean
gravestones (fi g. 4), dated back in the 1
st
century
A.D. and in Sassanian silver plates. The Roman
army adopted this type of sword from probably
the Sarmatian mercenaries, who fought as allies
in the Trajan’s Dacian Wars for instance (Bishop
and Coulston 1993, 112). The ring-shaped pommel
(Ringknaufschwert) is traced in Europe back in the
2nd century AD, mostly in Roman Germania. This
type has probably its origins in the Sarmatian ring
pommel swords (Feugère 2002, 154). Biborski
dated the use of Roman ring-pommeled swords
in the 2nd c. A.D. and separated two basic types:
the longer, spatha like type and the shorter, dag-
gerlike pieces (fi g. 5) (Biborski 1994, 95).
After the disappearance of the Sarmatians
from the historical impact of the Eurasia in the
4th century, the ring pommeled swords continued
to be in use over a very vast territory from Korea
to Iran, up to the 8th century. Such swords are
Fig. 3: Sarmatian ring pommeled swords (Istvánovits and Kulcsár 2008, 98)
Fig. 4. Ring-pommeled swords on Bosporan
grave- stones (Istvánovits and Kulcsár 2008, 98)
VANE P. SEKULOV / ERRIKOS MANIOTIS
87TIBERIOPOLITANI vol. 4
traced in the Carpathian Basin during the 6th and
7
th
century, and they are associated with the Avar
military culture. Moreover, such ring pomme-
led swords were part of the armament of eastern
roman soldiers who inherited the perennial impe-
rial roman tradition. The latest examples of the
usage of ring-pommeled sword in the Eastern
Roman Army are the two ring-pommeled sword
that had been found in the byzantine city of Amo-
rium and are dated in the Middle Byzantine Period
(Maniotis E. & Gökalp Z. 2021, 1281-1299).
Back to our analysis of the ring-pommeled
spatha from the Cverno Pole necropolis, what is
more intrigued in the description of the construc-
tion of the ring-pommeled sword is that the two
parts of the handle are linked with rivets, three
in that case. This is a very useful clue because it
could lead us to extract certain conclusions about
the possible origin of the sword.
It is observed that the Sarmatians, who as
we have mentioned, brought this specifi c sword
type in Europe, manufactured the
ring-pommeled sword as one-piece
(fi g. 6). On the other hand, Romans,
who adopted the ring pommeled sword
type from the steppe people, applied
their own manufacture techniques
giving a unique imprint in the type, by
riveting the ring to the hilt. In addition,
Roman ring pommeled swords di er
from Sarmatian ones in the shape of
the ring, in which the ring is thickening
towards its top and their cross-sec-
tion is angled. In some examples, inlay
decorative motifs are being detected
on the guard and damascening, typ-
ical features of the roman tradition
(fi g. 6) (Istvánovits and Kulcsár 2008,
99-102).
As a result, the ring pommeled
sword form the grave no.72 fulfi lls the
roman ring pommel variation stand-
ards. A close parallel of this type is the
ring-pommeled sword from Mainz.
The sword (fi g. 7) was found during an
excavation, not far from a total of fi ve
late Roman shipwreck which had been
removed. The sword can be dated in the
3rd century A.D. The total length of the sword is
approximately 71,3 cm, the handle is 16,3 cm
Fig. 5: Roman type Ring Pommeled swords (Miks 2009, 156)
Fig. 6: Sarmatian type Ring Pommeled swords from
Kuban region (Limberis and Marchenko 2020, 176)
ROMAN RING-POMMELED SWORD FROM CRVENO POLE, N. MACEDONIA
88 ACTA MUSEI
and the blade width is 5 mm, while it has a short
rhomboid cross-guard, approximately 6 cm
(Miks 2009, 130-145).
Another paradigm comes form the terri-
tory of modern-day Georgia and specifi cally
from the fortifi cation of Pityus. The contact
between Rome with the regional area of Iberia
can be traced during the Mythridatic Wars in
the 1
st
century B.C., where the Kingdom of
Pontus under the rule of Mithradates VI Eupa-
tor, collided with the Roman Empire. In the
work of Greek author Plutarch (46-120 A.D.)
‘’Parallel Lives’’, the wars of Roman military
leaders Lucullus and Pompey with Mithri-
dates Eupator are mentioned. The military
operations of Pompey in the Kingdom of
Iberia and then in Colchis are also recounted
here. In the writing of Roman historian Cor-
nelius Tacitus (50-117 AD) “The Annals”, the
events taking place in Iberia-Colchis against
the background of opposition between Rome
and Pontus are described. The Annals con-
tain information about the location of Roman
legions in Asia Minor and Caucasus. Moreover,
from the writings of Cassius Dio (153-235 A.D.),
the third Rome-Pontus war, the battles of Luc-
ullus and Pompey are especially particularized
in it. Also, the campaigns of Pompey to Iberia are
narrated along with its routes, and ups and downs
and the war with the king of the Iberians Artoces
and the follow-up diplomatic negotiations. Thus,
the stamped bricks and slabs of Roman military
units discovered in the eastern Black Sea area
provide documentary proof of the activities of
such units and of their presence at strategic points
along the Colchian littoral, as well as their par-
ticipation in controlling the Caucasus region the
Black Sea coast (Braund 1994, 171-204).
Archaeologically attested stamps of Roman
legions and subdivisions provide documentary
evidence for the place, time and function of the
deployment of Roman units in one region or
another of the Roman empire. Several stamps
have been discovered on the eastern Black Sea
littoral. Such example is the stronghold of Pityus,
a very important harbor, where the sword was
also found. As excavation has shown, at the end
of the 1
st
century A.D., or in the second half of
the 2nd century A.D., the Romans built a tempo-
rary fortifi cation in Pityus, the remains of
which are well preserved (wooden beams)
in the central part of the castellum. Pityus
claimed the special attention of the Romans
in the early 2nd century A.D., confi rmed by
the discovery of a Latin inscription around
the stronghold saying that a permanent
garrison was stationed in Pityus between
the years 135 and 152 A.D (Gamqreliże et.
al. 2018, 180-182, 255).
The sword (fi g. 8) appears to have the
same hilt structure as our examined sword
from the Crveno Pole. The connection of the
open ring-pommel with the grip is being
achieved with the presence of two or more
rivets, a clue that leads us to conclude the
roman origin of the sword. The measure-
ments of the sword from Pityus aren’t being
described but judging form the structure,
the length of the sword couldn’t exceed the
70 cm, like the sword from Crveno Pole.
Conclusions: So, the question that arise
is why a roman manufactured sword has
Fig. 7: Roman type ring pommeled sword from Mainz (Miks 2009, 132)
Fig. 8: Sword from Pityus, Georgia, 2nd c. A.D.
(Gamqreliże et. al. 2018, 255)
VANE P. SEKULOV / ERRIKOS MANIOTIS
89TIBERIOPOLITANI vol. 4
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BYBLIOGRAPHY:
been found in a grave which relates to the
ritual of cremation. Moreover, unlike the
other weapons of the necropolis, which
were partly destroyed on purpose, this
sword was excavated untouchable. A ring
pommeled sword (fi g. 9) was found in the
Southern cemetery of Százhalombatta/
Matrica, in cremation grave 14. Grave goods
were accompanied the sword such as char-
acteristic sherds, lamp, coin, iron knife,
iron mountings, iron nails and objects
of unknown function. These objects were
typical of Roman origin. However, the ring
hasn’t been riveted on the handle, indicating
a Sarmatian origin (Istvánovits and Kulcsár
2008, 101).
We could assume that this sword was
obtained either as a war booty or the
deceased was in service in the roman army
as a mercenary. In any case, these circum-
stances throw a new light on the character
relationship of the Roman Empire with the
various tribes.
Fig. 9: Sword from Százhalombatta/Matrica, Southern
cemetery,grave 14 (Istvánovits and Kulcsár 2008, 101)
ROMAN RING-POMMELED SWORD FROM CRVENO POLE,
N. MACEDONIA
Fig. 9: Sword from Százhalombatta/Matrica, Southern
cemetery,grave 14 (Istvánovits and Kulcsár 2008, 101)
90 ACTA MUSEI