Subject: warrior
Culture: Irish La Tene
Setting: late Iron Age, Ireland late 1stm BC - early 1stm AD
Evolution: ... > 100BC Irish La Tene warrior
Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)
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Sword
* Thopson 2013 p39
"Irish warriors of the era in which the Tain is set (around the same time as the life of Christ) would have used short cut-and-thrust swords of between 14 and 20 inches in length. By the era in which the earliest sections of the Tain were composed, the Irish had adopted modified versions of the swords they would have seen during their piratical raids against Roman Britain. However, these were still short cut-and-thrust swords, maxing out at about 28 inches. The military technology had not evolved to the point where sword technique would have been drastically different. If the Tain and the other sagas incorporated stock phrases describing combat (which is a typical mnemonic feature of epic recitation), then broadly accurate descriptions of sword use could have been 'fossilized' in the story for centuries before it was written down."
* Thompson 2013 p40-41
"Irish swords were very different from the swords used by the Gauls, Britons or Caledonians. The Irish weapon was much shorter -- we would probably think of it as a very large knife rather than a sword -- and it could thrust just as well as it could cut. However, Irish warriors in the sagas still use a lot of cuts:
Heroes swayed to this side and that, each circling the other as they sought opportunity for a blow. The battle champions rose again over the rims of their emblazoned shields. Their courage grew, and the valiant virulent men became steadfast as an arch. Their hands shot up with their swords, and they fenced swiftly about the heads of warriors, hacking their helmets. (Cath Magh Tured)
"This passage from 'The Battle of Moytura' gives us a vivid picture of what an Irish swordfight would have looked like. The warriors circle each other warily with raised swords, feinting and watching for a chance. Suddenly they close in on each other with a flurry of blows targeting the head, the face and the neck, striking rapidly from one side to the other.
"This picture is confirmed by all of the other Irish sources. The sagas present a consistent picture of this type of sword combat, sometimes with more detail and sometimes with less."
* Thompson 2013 p21
"Ancient Irish swords were much different from La Tène broadswords. They had sharp thrusting tips as well as edges for cutting, and were much shorter. Several examples are discussed in 'The Lake Dwellings of Ireland' by William Gregory Wood-Martin, and measurements are given.
"One example was 253/4" overall length, with a blade 11/2" broad and a 31/2" grip. Another example was a 23" 'crannog sword' with a 4" handle. Another example was 211/2" overall length, and still another was a mere 141/4" overall length.
"Apparently, Irish warriors began carrying longer swords modeled after the gladius and spatha after tangling with the Romano-British who used these weapons, but ancient Irish swords never got any longer than about 28"."
Shield
* Thompson 2013 p20-21
"We don't have a lot of information on Irish Iron Age shields due to the lack of archaeological evidence, but an Irish rectangular shield found at Clonoura was 22.4 inches high by 13.8 inches wide.
"Small rectangular shields very similar to the Clonoura shield are shown on some of the Pictish stone carvings. An image from the Book of Kells shows an Irish warrior with a spear and buckler, so we know the buckler was used as well."
Jewelry
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Costume
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