A Weaving Sword at Miletus?

Combat or Weaving Sword and the Complexities of Gender Construction

Authors

  • Laura B. Mazow

Abstract

A sword from a Mycenaean-style chamber tomb at Miletus in Turkey was described as being of the Hittite type, but it is dissimilar to traditional combat swords in having a tang at both ends. A sword with a tanged tip is ineffective as a weapon as the tip could easily break off. A better comparison is found in the weaving swords from Iron Age European contexts. When used as a weaving sword, the blade functions to beat in the warp. This paper considers the possibility that the Miletus sword is a weaving sword, reviews ethnographic, ethnohistoric and literary evidence for weaving swords in the ancient east Mediterranean world, and discusses the difficulty in recognising weaving swords in the archaeological record.

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Published

21-12-2017

How to Cite

Mazow, L. B. (2017) “A Weaving Sword at Miletus? Combat or Weaving Sword and the Complexities of Gender Construction”, Archaeological Textiles Review, 59, pp. 3–16. Available at: https://tidsskrift.dk/atr/article/view/167005 (Accessed: 9 April 2026).

Issue

Vol. 59 (2017)

Section

ARTICLES (double blind peer reviewed)

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