The Sword with the Sleeve Cross-Guard in the Fresco from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Aghtamar Island

Bibliographic Data

ID21219962
AuthorsRaffaele D’Amato (0000-0001-5528-546X, University of Ferrara), Dmytro Dymydyuk (0000-0001-5067-5530, Lviv University)
Year2021
Volume11
Pages107-144
Publication date2021-12-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudia Ceranea Journal of the Waldemar Ceran Research Centre for the History and Culture of the Mediterranean Area and South-East Europe (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2084-140X • E-ISSN: 2449-8378
PublisherUniwersytet Lodzki (University of Lodz) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.18778/2084-140x.11.06
OpenAlexW4226365719
LanguageEN
References cited14

There is an indisputable fact that in Medieval Armenia, as in most countries of the Middle Ages, the sword was a popular (but expensive) type of weapon. However, what did these “swords” look like? The aim of the article is to analyse one internal fresco called “Massacre of the Innocents” from Aghtamar Church (915–921), where a depiction of the sword with the sleeve cross-guard could be found.Comparisons of the known archaeological finds of “Byzantine” type swords from Eastern Europe and Near East have been made, proving the idea that such type of swords actually existed. The authors, with the following analysis, would like to support the idea that medieval figurative sources are a very accurate for studying medieval military history

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Byzantine architecture · Depiction · Fresco · Literature · Middle Ages · Painting · SWORD · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Byzantine Studies and History · Classics · Computer Science · Engineering · Eurasian Exchange Networks · History

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