The Sword in Iron Age Britain

Principal investigator: Liam
Level: PhD level research

I am currently a Combined Doctoral Award student working on my PhD thesis which is entitled 'The Sword in Iron Age Britain'. My AHRC award is held jointly by the University of Manchester and The British Museum. My research project aims to discern the social importance of the sword and scabbard within the British Iron Age through three key chapters which will analyse how swords were worn, wielded and deposited throughout the separate regions of Iron Age Britain. My project aims to combine the archaeological evidence from the artefacts themselves with osteological data (in particular, evidence of sharp force trauma), in order to answer questions relating to warrior identity, combat styles and depositional practices at a regional level. Additionally, my research seeks to provide a continuation of the extensive catalogue of British Iron Age swords and scabbards published by Dr Ian Stead (2006), as several new finds have come to light since the work's completion, a number of which have been recorded through the PAS. I am requesting research level access to the PAS in order to be able to access findspots for sword and scabbard-related fittings, such as baldric rings, which have been reported through the scheme. This will enable me to complete a more thorough study of the distribution and findspots of these fittings. No data will be published at a more specific level than that available to the general public through the PAS.

The submission date for my thesis is currently mid-May 2021, though a period of funding available to me through the AHRC award (known as the Student Development Fund) means that this date may be subject to change dependant on placement length etc.

Referee: Julia Farley (BM)

Audit data

• Created: 4 years ago
• Created by: S M