Late Bronze Age Sword Pommels From Troy

Abstract

There are considerable studies have been carried out on the characteristics, typologies, and useful features of Bronze Age swords. However, a comprehensive evaluation of these findings has not been made in Troy, which is one of the most important Bronze Age centers in Western Anatolia. Especially the marble and ivory sword pommels, which were found in almost every period of the Troy excavations since Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations, were not evaluated as a whole, and also partially misinterpreted. Contrary to the previous examples, the pommel, found outside of the citadel during the 2019 Troy excavations indicates the widespread use of the aforementioned finds. From the 1871 Heinrich Schliemann excavations until the recent excavations, 21 sword pommels were found in Troy. Particularly, the semi-engraved pommel found in the excavations carried out by in 1988-2005 shows that one of the workshops where these swords were produced was probably in Troy. It seems unlikely that this semi-engraved sample, which stands out as a strong evidence of domestic production, was imported in its current form. The fact that this product is produced in Troy means that we have added a new one to the Mycenaean imitation products produced in Troy. Sword pommels were found quite a lot during excavations, existence of rich weapon production technology in Troy combined with the moat and strong walls shows that Troy could also have an important place in sword production. In this article, the hilt heads of the swords found in the Troy excavations were re-evaluated and interpreted.

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The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest.