Středověké meče v českých zemích. Meč jako technologický, kulturněhistorický a archeologický fenomén.
Authors: Petr Žákovský, Patrick Bárta, Jiří Hošek
Archeologický ústav AV ČR, Brno, v. v. i.; Archeologický ústav SAV, v. v. i.
Brno 2023, 131 s.
ISBN 978-80-7524-078-1
DOI: 10.47382/arub2023-08
Price: 490,- Kč
Throughout their entire history, swords have been among the professionally and layman-attractive historical artefacts documenting the technological and artistic level of the given period. Although the history of swords is very long and goes back deep into prehistoric times, the peak of the sword as a weapon and as a status symbol is undoubtedly the Middle Ages. It was precisely then that the sword became a symbol of the gradually constituting nobility and it is here that its perception as an ambivalent object starts. It is seen on the one hand a symbol of power, honour, courage, and law, but on the other hand also of violence and war. The book presents medieval swords to the lay public in a comprehensive form as objects of study in many scientific disciplines, from archaeology to metallurgy, and places the acquired knowledge in the Central European context. It shows the methods of researching swords as well as our current knowledge of their manufacture, including technological experiments. The book presents the results of long-term scientific research in a popular form, which was recently crowned by two extensive scientific monographs.