There are 19 known swords from the Prehistoric Balearic Islands, although there may be more or even fewer due to a lack of data on these objects. There are significant gaps in the information available about solid-hilted swords. Some are only known through drawings, others have unusual current conditions, and only one of these swords has been studied from its place of origin until its transfer to the museum using modern archaeological methods: the sword from Serral de Ses Abelles (Sureda et al., 2021).
The solid-hilted bronze swords from the Balearic Islands could be called Gymnesian swords (the name of the larger islands in the Balearic archipelago), as they have only been found so far on the two largest islands, Mallorca and Menorca. They are distinguished from other solid-hilted swords that exist both in Europe, which are much more common, and on the peninsula.
The main element they all share is what gives them their name: a solid hilt, as they are entirely made of bronze, both the blade and the handle. Second, they consist of two pieces joined by rivets. This is demonstrated by the presence of these rivets in radiographs of some swords such as that from Es Mitja Gran, Lloseta (Delibes et al., 1988) and the one from Serral de Ses Abelles (Sureda et al., 2021). Thirdly, most guards embrace the blade in an arched shape, except for two which are those of Lloseta and Es Mitja Gran. Fourthly, we see a common element in all solid-hilted swords: a relatively disc-shaped pommel and some termination either as a button (Serral de Ses Abelles) (Sureda et al., 2021) or a cylindrical pivot (Son Matge). This type of guard decoration is very similar to Central European Bronze Age swords (Delibes et al., 1988).
Different sword typologies
Based on the distinctive features given to each sword, Delibes et al. (1988) define three types and establish a chronological order:
- Type I (flat or almost flat blades) (Fig. 2): These are considered the oldest or most primitive. They include those from Son Matge (3), Ses Salines (4), Son Reus (2), and Alcudia (1). The body in which the guard and use do not present very clear limits, with a disc-shaped pommel and the presence of a pivot.
- Type II (clear central rib and slender blade) (Fig. 2): The sword from Son Foradat (7) and the sword from Son Oms (8) have characteristics closer to Central European models like the Rixheim sword.
- Type III (solid central rib and underlined, straight blade) (Fig. 2), such as the Lloseta sword (9) which resembles a French sword from Petit Villatte. The Can Jordi II (10) sword is transitional between this type and the previous one.
The origin of these objects sparked strong debate among researchers (Almagro, 1940; Bosch, 1945, pp. 44). Thanks to the dating of the Son Matge sword and the unique characteristics of Balearic swords (solid hilt and blade joined with rivets), it seems that they are local productions and therefore original, showing a strong disconnection from the southwestern peninsula (Delibes et al., 1998).
Dating. Problems and factors to consider.
Establishing the chronology of solid-hilted swords is complicated, as most come from unknown or poorly documented contexts due to their old discovery. Additionally, it is considered that most deposits may be ritualized after a long period of use. The moment they are abandoned only represents the last instant in the life of such an object.
Only the Son Matge swords could be dated with some certainty around 1200 cal BC. Starting from this data, swords like those from Son Oms and Es Mitja Gran, which are very similar and were found inside naviform buildings dating between 1600 and 850 cal BC (Fernandez-Miranda & Waldren, 1979 cited in Sureda et al., 2021), could be placed in the same period.
According to what is proposed in Pau Sureda et al.'s article from 2021, this type of element may have been in use between 1000 and 800 cal BC and disappeared with the arrival of iron swords on the islands in the seventh century BC (Prototalayótico).
As a final point, it should be noted that out of seven analyzed swords in the Balearic Islands, five of them have shown different compositions between blade, pommel and handle. This data must be treated with care, as in the case of Can Jordi's example, which is in poor condition with heavily patinated surfaces and highly mineralized, making qualitative analysis values unreliable (Sureda et al., 2021).
Composition. Recent analyses and studies.
Despite this, the difference in composition between blade and handle is very clear in the disparity of Pb (Lead) and Sn (Tin) concentrations. An example would be the button on the Ses Salines sword which gives a more grayish hue to that part of the sword, proving these objects were made from two different castings (Sureda et al., 2021).
Functionally, many authors interpret these objects as simple parade or ceremonial items, social elements of emerging hierarchy in the Balearic Islands and that, as defensive or offensive weapons, due to their shape and weight, would be rather useless (Guerrero et al., 2007; Sureda et al., 2021).
The most recent laboratory analysis of the Serral de Ses Abelles sword reinforces this theory based on microhardness and metallographic analyses. It seems that this sword, despite potentially reaching higher levels of hardness, never did so and also does not present marks or damage on its edges to support its use. Therefore, researchers propose it was not a functional element (Sureda et al., 2021).
Based on the study of the Serral de Ses Abelles sword, which was made from copper from Linares, it is proposed that these would be local productions using imported ingots. The most common ingots at this time are flat-convex types, many found in the islands and typical of this Western Mediterranean (Sureda et al., 2021). However, metal origins are diverse as shown by analyses on the Lloseta deposit with possible Menorcan origin (Llull et al., 2022) or the Mitja Gran deposit with multiple origins from the Western Mediterranean (Llull et al., 2022a).
Conclusion.
All swords of this type start from the same principle (solid hilt joined to blade with rivets) and are unique in the Gymnesian Islands, so we can classify them together. It must be said that despite presenting a common line, each object diversifies and varies according to where it is found. The biggest problem is that most lack reliable chronological information due to their discovery last century, and additionally, they were probably used for several generations, making it very complex to understand if they had an ordered timeline or simply all started from the same principle with each metallurgist generating unique characteristics.
Bibliography
Sureda, P., Deyà, J., Galera, P., Murillo-Barroso, M., & Salvà-Simonet, B. (2021). Emblematic objects for societies in transition. An archaeological and archaeometric study of the sword of Serral de ses Abelles (Puigpunyent, Mallorca). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports/Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 40, 103-201.
Delibes, G., Rovira, S., & Fernández-Miranda, M. (1988). Armas y utensilios de bronce en la prehistoria de las Islas Baleares. Studia Archaeologica.
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Fernández-Miranda, M., & Waldren, W. H. (1979). Periodificación cultural y cronología absoluta en la Prehistoria de Mallorca. Trabajos De Prehistoria, 36(1), 349–378.
Guerrero, V. (2007). Prehistory of the Balearic Islands: archaeological record and social evolution before the Iron Age. British Archaeological Reports Oxford Limited.
Llull, B., Perello, L., & Calvo, M. (2022). Analysis of origins from the Lloseta deposit (Mallorca) and hybridization phenomena in the Late Bronze Age Balearic Islands: isotopic characterization of the bronze deposit at Es Mitjà Gran, Mallorca. Zephyrus, 90, 115–134. https://doi.org/10.14201/zephyrus202290115134
Llull, B., Perelló, L., & Calvo, M. (2022a). Maritime connections in the Western Mediterranean and access to copper resources in the Balearic Islands during the Late Bronze Age: Isotopic characterization of the bronze deposit at Es Mitjà Gran, Mallorca. Archaeometry, 64(4), 898–915. https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12755
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