Changes

''A large knife with a blade length of 17cm 18cm (6½7") or longer possibly used in combat.'' <br> Seaxes with blade lengths over 6½” long were popular during the C6th Anglo-Saxon pagan period. It is not uncommon for burials in the Viking age to contain more than one knife. [BERSU and WILSON 1966: p.41] Wheeler gives his opinion that small heavy seaxes were in use up until the end of the C10th but that really as a weapon it belongs to the pre-Viking period. [WHEELER 1927: p.30]

Harke defined knives and short seaxes by size with knives being under 175mm and short seaxes being over 180mm. [CAMERON 2000:p.49]. Like Esther Cameron we have also used this as our definition. Blades of over 12" in length are more usually defined as [[Langseax]]es.== Seaxes <br>The short seax is also known as a Scramasax, a Hadseax or just a Sax. The term Scramasax comes from Gregory of Tours writing in 575AD, who speaks of "boys with strong knives (cultris validis), which they commonly call scramasaxes (scramasaxos)." in his History of the C9th ==Franks (IV, 52). [WHEELER 1935:p.176] It is not known if this name continued in use into the Viking Age. <br>It is not uncommon for burials in the Viking age to contain more than one knife. [BERSU and WILSON 1966: p.41] Wheeler gives his opinion that small heavy seaxes were in use up until the end of the C10th but that as a weapon it really belongs to the pre-Viking period. [WHEELER 1927: p.30]<br>Seaxs from the Viking Age never have metal fittings unlike the pagan Anglo-Saxon examples. <br><br>==Images of Seaxes (C8th to C11th)= Knives ==={{Evidence|Art =

|Literature* Camb corp chri MS23, f.23r - late C10th|Archaeology* England, Dorset, Cranborne. Silver strap-end [HINTON 2005: p.113]|Discussion}}* St. Andrew Sarcophagus - late C8th* Middleton warrior [BAILEY 1980:pl.14]* England, Derbyshire, Repton. C8th, Stone carving, [HINTON 2005: p.105]* Bayeux Tapestry [WILSON 1985:pl.6, 7] 

Pl5St.fig1_Andrew_Sarcophagus.jpg|from NorwaySt. Andrew SarcophagusMiddleton_Warrior.jpg|Middleton WarriorRepton_Warrior.jpg|Repton WarriorBayeux_Tapestry_seax.jpg|Bayeux Tapestry

<br>==English Seax Blades (C9th to C11th)= Sheaths =[[File:Seax Blades.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Seax Blades]]Out of 128 knives found from Coppergate York, only 1 can be classed as a seax. [CAMERON 2000: p.64-65]<br> {||- valign="top" id="1"{{Evidence|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_Dimmock_Cote.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=Dimmock's Cote]]|Art width= "600pt"| '''England, Cambridge, River Cam at Dimmock's Cote'''* :Current Location- University of Archaeology and Ethnology, Cambridge:Type- ? 800AD:Find Date- ?:Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: ? :Comments- 'large scramasax with a groove along the back of the blade' [BJORN 1940:p.69].:Bibliography- [BJORN 1940:p.69]  |- valign="top" id="2"|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_Cumwhitton_634.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=Cumwhitton 634]]|width="600pt"| '''England, DorsetCumwhitton, CranbornePlough Soil''':Current Location- Tullie House Museum:Type- ? :Find Date- ?:Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: 30mm; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 220mm :Comments- 'Patern-welded blade with remains of possible leather sheath still attached' [PATERSON 2014:cat. Silver strap634].:Bibliography-end [PATERSON 2014:p.50,51 & Cat.634]  |- valign="top" id="3"|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_Cumwhitton_885.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=Cumwhitton 885]]|width="600pt"| '''England, Cumwhitton, Grave 5''':Current Location- Tullie House Museum:Type- ? :Find Date- ? :Size- Blade Length: 182mm; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 270mm :Comments- 'Part pattern welded. Has a horn handle with inlaid silver wire.' [HINTON 2005PATERSON 2014:cat.885].:Bibliography- [PATERSON 2014: p.113110 & Cat.885]* |- valign="top" id="4"|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_Sittingbourne.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=Sittingbourne]]|width="600pt"| '''England, DerbyshireKent, ReptonSittingbourne''':Current Location- British Museum 1881,0623. C8th1:Type- Wheeler IV 900-925AD:Find Date- 1881 :Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: ? :Comments- 'inlaid with copper, Stone carvingbronze, silver and niello.' [WILSON 1964:cat.80].:Bibliography- [WILSON 1964:cat.80] [[http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=476352&objectId=95276&partId=1 British Museum]] |Literature- valign="top" id="5"|Archaeology width="100pt"| [[File:seax_London_ALG84_588_381.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=London]]|width="600pt"| '''England, London''':Current Location- London Museum ALG84[CAMERON 2000588]381: pType- Wheeler III/II 1000-1100AD:Find Date- ? :Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 247mm :Comments- :Bibliography- [[http://collections.63museumoflondon.org.uk/Online/object.aspx?objectID=object-64146014&rows=1&start=0 Museum of London]]* Dover|- valign="top" id="6"|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_London_1856_Honey_Lane.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=London 1856]]|width="600pt"| '''England, BucklandLondon, grave 145Honey Lane''':Current Location- British Museum 1856, leather sheath dated to 7007-750AD1,1413* :Type- Wheeler IV 978-1016AD:Find Date- 1856 :Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 327mm :Comments- :Bibliography- [WILSON 1965:Cat.43] |- valign="top" id="7"|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_London_1879_Park_Street.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=London 1879]]|width="600pt"| '''England, London, Park Street''':Current Location- British Museum 1879,12-22.1:Type- 800-1000AD:Find Date- :Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 266mm :Comments- :Bibliography- [WILSON 1965:Cat.81] |- valign="top" id="8"|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_London_Princes_Street.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=London Princes St]]|width="600pt"| '''England, London, Princes Street''':Current Location- London Museum 29.94,17 (Wheeler 21):Type- 900-1000AD:Find Date- :Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: ? :Comments- :Bibliography- [WHEELER 1935:p.] |- valign="top" id="9"|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_London_1859_Thames.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=London 1859]]|width="600pt"| '''England, London, River Thames nr''':Current Location- British Museum 1859,1-22. Westminster Bridge12:Type- 800-1000AD:Find Date- :Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 232mm :Comments- :Bibliography- [WILSON 1965:Cat.50] |- valign="top" id="10"|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_London_A1781.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=London A1781]]|width="600pt"| '''England, metal fittingsLondon, late C8thThames'''* York:Current Location- London Museum A1781 (Wheeler 25):Type- 900-1100AD:Find Date- :Size- Blade Length: 247mm; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: 334mm :Comments- :Bibliography- [WHEELER 1935:p.] |- valign="top" id="11"|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_London_A9313.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=London A9313]]|width="600pt"| '''England, leather sheathLondon, C9thThames at Blackfriars''':Current Location- London Museum A9313 (Wheeler 8):Type- 800-1000AD:Find Date- :Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: ? :Comments- :Bibliography- [WHEELER 1935:p.] |Discussion- valign="top" id="12"}}|width="100pt"| [[File:seax_London_A10721.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=London A10721]]<gallery>|width="600pt"| '''England, London, Thames at Brentford''':Current Location- London Museum A10721 (Wheeler 11):Type- 700-900AD:Find Date- :Size- Blade Length: ?; Blade Width: ?; Blade Thickness: ?; Total Length: ? :Comments- :Bibliography- [WHEELER 1935:p.] |}

{||- valign="top" id= Seaxes from the C10th and C11th =="1"|width="100pt"| [[File:sheath_Dublin_DLS4.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=Dublin DLS4]]|width= Knives ==="600pt"| '''Ireland, Dublin, Christchurch Place'''{{Evidence:Current Location- ? (Cameron DLS 4)|Art:Type- ? |Literature:Find Date- ?|Archaeology = :Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: ? ; Total Width: ?* England,York. Out of 128 knives found from Coppergate only 1 can be classed as a seax. :Comments- :Bibliography- [CAMERON 20002007: p.64]  |-65valign="top" id="5"|width="100pt"| [[File:sheath_London_Cheapside.jpg|thumb|130x150px|left|alt=London Cheapside]]* |width="600pt"| '''England, London. One find from cheapside could have had a blade of 25cm. , Cheapside''':Current Location- ? (Cameron 145):Type- ? :Find Date- ?:Size- Blade Length: ?; Total Length: ? ; Total Width: ?:Comments- :Bibliography- [VINCE 1991] [CAMERON 2000: p.64-65208]|Discussion}|} <br>=== Sheaths A few Seax Sheathes from the C8th==={{Evidence|Art|Literature|Archaeology = * Dover, Buckland, grave 145, leather sheath dated to 700-750AD* EnglandLondon, 12 finds (out of a total of 61 knife sheaths) [CAMERON 2000: pRiver Thames nr.64-65]Westminster Bridge, metal fittings, late C8th

|Discussion = Substantial leather up to 3mm thick* England, London. Closed by rivets about 4 to 5cm apartOne find from cheapside could have had a blade of 25cm. [CAMERON 2000]:p.64-65}} == Seax hanging position ===== At the front - Horizontal ==={{Evidence|Art* Middleton warrior? |Literature|Archaeology|Discussion}}=== At the side – Angled ==={{Evidence|Art|Literature|Archaeology =* Norse blades|Discussion}}=== At the back ==={{Evidence|Art =*Bayeux Tapestry|Literature|Archaeology|Discussion}}]

== See Also ==[[Weapons]]<br>

[[Norse Style Knives]]<br>

*[*BERSU and WILSON 1966]<nocite>*[*CAMERON 2000]BAILEY1980*[*HINTON 2005]BERSU1966*[*MOULD, CARLISLE and CAMERON 2003]CAMERON2000*CAMERON2003CAMERON2007HINTON2005VINCE1991WilSON1965WILSON1985WHEELER1927WHEELER1935</nocite><biblio force=false>#[*WHEELER 1927[Template:Bib]]</biblio>