#Medieval sword sharpening manual#
#Medieval sword sharpening series#

Sharpening even one cutting edge is not easy, and when there are two cutting edges, as on double-edged blades, it makes sharpening twice as difficult. If you consider sharpening a sword with any sharpener with a sharpening wheel, a belt sander, or a grinder with an endless belt, you will find that sharpening this way will not be any less complicated. With the sword sharpening, there is not a single abrasive stone, which can exceed the length and width of the knife in any significant way.

#Medieval sword sharpening manual#

If we compare it to sharpening a regular knife, even with freehand manual sharpening, the abrasives exceed the length and width of the knife, which increases the convenience of sharpening. In any case there is a significant amount of metal to be removed and a lot of work to be done when using any tool or sharpening system.īlade length - as the main specification represents a significant problem. In addition to the previous two features, the type and width of the bevels are important. With its length, it is not easy to sharpen even one edge. The next important feature is the presence of one or two cutting edges. The most obvious feature is the length of the blade. Sword blades have several technical features that make sharpening quite difficult. Yet we are not going to talk about the purpose, but about what you can use to sharpen such a long object, how the very specifications of the blade force you to take one or another approach in choosing a sharpening system, what will be easier, faster and more efficient, and what will actually be the right thing, but probably more expensive and slower.

What comes to mind as the most obvious when you hear the word sword? Perhaps you imagine shashkas, spadroons, sabers, medieval double-edged swords, and finally probably the crown of the blacksmith's craft and the well-known Japanese katana - all of them were invented in order to create weapons of high sharpness and efficiency, as it is a real edged weapon with a very specific purpose. We are not going to go into the historical details within the framework of this article. “What secrets does Torre de Meira hold? What function did this structure really have? Are we excavating a simple watchtower or was it really a small castle with permanent occupation?” the group said in a statement.There are many different interpretations and descriptions of the concept of the sword, depending on the historical period and geographical location, but one thing is certain - it is a long-bladed weapon. The Arbore Arqueoloxía team hopes to learn more about the context in which it was made, and the people who once honed their weapons on it, during their continued excavations at the fortress ruins. The stone penis offers a vivid glimpse of a pivotal era that was rocked by fierce social enmities and devastating battles. Phallic representations were common in the Medieval era, and this stone may have been regarded as a symbol of reverence and protection. However, the deliberately phallic sculpting of this stone hints that it served both a functional and symbolic role to whomever who created and used it. Sharpening stones, or whetstones, were everyday items in Medieval Europe and are found in many archaeological sites. 'It is an interesting object because it is unusual and because it materializes the symbolic association between violence, weapons, and masculinity, an association that we know existed in the Middle Ages and that is present in our culture today.' Darío Peña-Pascual, an archaeologist with Arbore Arqueoloxía, told Live Science. The object being found in the rubble of a violent class uprising is notable, researchers say. The penis is marked by the wear of many blades, suggesting that it was primarily used as a sharpening stone. Always preserving its character as a collective protector from potential evils and dangers.”ĭuring their three years working at the site, the researchers have unearthed pottery and other intriguing artifacts, but the stone penis is in a class all its own, according to National Geographic. The phallic symbol is represented on lamps, masks, pendants and rings, walls of houses, pavement of a street, corners, balconies, doors, baths or walls. “The phallus was an object of veneration and was given a magical-religious cult.

“Far from being an offensive or obscene element, in Roman times these representations did not have the exclusively erotic connotation that some currently erroneously attribute to them,” Arbore Aqueoloxía said in a statement.

#Medieval sword sharpening series#

The Tower of Meira was just one of dozens of castles and forts that were destroyed during the Irmandiño revolts, a series of violent popular uprisings by peasants against the ruling Galician nobility that occurred in the 15th century.