Fantastic books on the La Tene scabbards and swords

[Justin Mercier]

So I finally found a copy of both books from The British Academy press on the swords and scabbards from La Tene. They've been on my "watch for these books" list for some time, but the only copies i'd been able to find they were asking upwards of 1000$ for.

 

The Finds from the Site of La Tene - Volume 1 Scabbards and the swords found in them Part 1- Text

 

The Finds from the Site of La Tene - Volume 1 Scabbards and the swords found in them Part 2- Catalog and Plates

 

Like the books on Illerup Adal which I recommended below, these are archaeological texts, so a bit dry, but full of massive amounts of detail Unlike the other set however, these books are in English so you dont need to learn another language. Book 2 is probably the most interesting, with all the photos of the swords and scabbards and detail shots, but book 1 contains fantastic info on the sheathes, construction, the various zoomorphic designs and motifs found, etc.

 

I highly highly recommend if you find a copy of these books for a reasonable price, pick them up! This is the full documentation on one of the most fantastic collections of pre-vikign era european iron age weapons, in fantastic states of preservation.

 

-Justin