Yvsa wrote -
"Tom is there anything else that you can remember from the Bronze Machaera in the museum? Like thickness, weight, length, thickness, width of blade? The condition of it and the handle material, if any, would be interestng also."
If Alan can come up with first-hand measurements &c, that'd be great. It's at least 10 yers since I actually saw the thing myself.
As regards the handle; the amazing thing about it is the hilts; two horns, above and below the grip, curving in towards each other - a bit like a US cavalry saber hilt, flattened, and with a bite taken out in the middle. The top horn is shaped like a bird's head. The grip is full tang, with scales originally rivetted on; the rivets are still there but the scales (presumably wood, bone or horn) have long since rotted away.
When a local smith made a copy of this machaera for me (from 5160 steel) he forged the horns integral with the blade, a wonderful piece of work. The hilt took him longer than the rest of the sword put together!
The nearest blade in terms of construction and dimensions to a Bronze Age type that I've come across is the so-called khyber knife, which has a very thin blade reinforced by a T-rib along the spine. It's very light and fast and cuts well, but of course it stops dead in the cut once you reach the spine. It feels very different in use to most other blades, and my guess is that it handles like a Bronze Age weapon.
