Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 1.djvu/104

 86 A History of Art in Sardinia and Jud^a. Fig. qo. — Sections of Swords fro of neither tongue nor cavity for riveting ; a simple indentation on either side of the edge at the lower end of the blade indicates that the handle fitted on to a notch cut for the purpose in the bone or wood hilt. Their blade, almost circular, was rudely made, showing irregu- lar edges and a more or less salient rib on either face (Fig. 90). Another type which should be noted is the flat-shaped sword of the Uta statuette (Fig. 53), exhibiting a short, broad blade ; as well as a fine specimen from the Teti repository, dis- tinguished for its very small rib (Fig. 91); and the guard-shaped hilt of Fig. 92, pierced and finely wrought, but which can scarcely have been pleasant to handle ; the lower portion alone is preserved. Along with these are curiously shaped, sharp-pointed stilet- tos, and some kinds of rods in bronze from 20 to 25 c. long (Fig. 93). 1 The head or handle is heavy and large, albeit not inelegant ; nearly all were cast in one piece, those whose head and piece were cast separately forming the exception. Votive daggers (Fig. 85) show these identical stilettos in relief, which there is reason to believe were reserve weapons, carried loose over the dagger, and fastened on to it or the dress, by a string passed through the hole seen at the upper Fig. 91. — Sword from Teti. Height, 19 c. From Baux. fig. 92.— Portion end. Were these stilettos used as Teti. w s ketcn°by daggers in a hand-to-hand fight ? or kept for dealing blows and brandished at a short distance ere they were thrust in the enemy's side, in true Spanish fashion ? We are ignorant, save that it must have been a weapon peculiar to the native soldier, one by which he was easily recognized from among a host of other mercenaries ; be it because he was never 1 Pais, Boll., pp. 130-132, 1884; and Gouin and Baux, Essai, etc., p. 208.