any good displays/collections of merovingian/visigothic swords/lances/axes

[fearn]

Hi Pallas,

Although this is a collectors site, I'd suggest a good entry is to start searching for material from the British Dark Age re-enactors such as Regia Anglorum. They're pretty strict about factual accuracy in their garb and weapons, and they've learned a fair amount about how some of the weapons worked (like the francisca). I think the Germans may have similar groups.

Otherwise, most weapons from the period have deteriorated pretty badly, and that's why it's often handled in a fairly cursory way in the books. As an example, one re-enactor noted that spear-lengths were often deduced by the distance between the heavily rusted head and the heavily rusted butt, the shaft having long disappeared. He noted that was problematic, as whoever was digging the grave was more likely to break the spear to fit it in the grave than they were to dig the grave bigger to accomodate a long spear. As another example, there's a long tradition of "killing" (i.e. destroying) weapons and throwing them in water. Many of these have been retrieved, but it's a matter of unbending and or putting the pieces back together.

That's why the re-enactors are handy, because they can at least try out people's reconstructions of various weapons designs and see how (or if) they work.

Best,

F