Arheološki Vestnik (Jan 2005)
Grave with a machaira from Most na Soči
Abstract
The article discusses the cremation grave 25 from the Repelcfallow at Most na Soči, which contained the remains of a warriorequipped with a curved single-edged sword and a pilum-likeweapon. The fill of the badly damaged grave pit yielded a potteryfragment with combed decoration, while a bronze fibula ofthe Middle La Tène scheme was found on the grave’s surfaceand probably also formed part of the grave unit. The swordbelongs to the group of the latest versions of Iron Age machairas,known exclusively from central and western Slovenia. Two ofthese were found in the Ljubljanica River, at the Ljubljana Moor,and two are of unknown provenance. The composition of theRepelc grave not being entirely reliable and other swords es-caping chronological determination, both result in the date ofthe Ljubljanica type swords remaining open. Based on the similaritywith the grave contents of the La Tène Idrija group, the pre-sumed typological development of the machairas with a ten-dency towards prolongation of the blade, and other instancesof the Hallstatt weapon forms being used during the Late IronAge in the south-eastern Alpine area, the authors are inclinedtowards dating the grave in the last two centuries BC
