More History of Swords

The Iron Age:

The Iron Age, much like the Bronze Age which preceded it, is named for the wide use of advanced metalworking technique. The use of iron and the subsequent transition to the Iron Age is generally considered to have taken place in the 13th-12th century BCE, but varies from region to region. Early iron swords were work-hardened much like bronze swords and were therefore comparable in strength. The advantage of iron over bronze was availability and ease of use, making the production of iron weapons much more efficient. However, smiths quickly learned that by adding an amount of carbon from coal to the iron smelting process they could create a much stronger alloy known now as steel.

Although the Iron Age began in the Near East in roughly 1,200 BCE, the use of iron swords is traced back to the Central European civilization of Hallstatt during the year 800 BCE. During the late Hallstatt Period, the sword was actually replaced by daggers until they would be reintroduced by the La Tene culture in 600 BCE. These swords strayed from the traditional leaf-shape of the Bronze Age and would become the cornerstone for modern sword design.

At this time the La Tene culture was very prominent and spurred the transition from bronze to iron weaponry in the remainder of Europe. The Persian acinaces, the Greek xiphos, and the Roman gladius each shared a common design inspired by the Central Europeans, and each measured from 60-70cm in length with a straight double-edged blade. The Roman spatha is a longer version of the gladius with a blade that measured from 75cm to 1m, and would eventually evolve into the viking sword as a result of Migration Period of the Barbarian Invasions of 300-700 CE.