The Carpathian basin was a highly influential region in the Early to Middle Bronze Age Europe as it acted as melting pot connecting not only the Nordic Bronze Age but also cultures in Central Europe, the Aegean and the Pontic steppes (Vandkilde, 2014, 23). From the Carpathian basin onwards, new ideas regarding warrior culture and equipment either originated or passed through the area. Because of its location in Central-Europe, the Carpathians played a pivotal role for the development of Bronze Age societies by spreading not only metallurgy but cultural notions of what place warriors and warriorhood should take in the world.

This is best expressed by swords of the Hajdúsámson-Apa types that have inspired northern Europeans to either import or imitate similar weapons. The latter is more likely as in the North, similarly looking blades have been found there but they are cast differently. Most notable are Nordic blades cast in one piece with a solid blade and hilt connection. In contrast, swords of the Hajdúsámson-Apa type have a separate bronze blade and hilt. The decorations however, are similar, but the design elements are copied and placed in different configurations.  The relationship between the Sögel and the Hajdúsámson-Apa types is the clearest because of similar styles of blade design with round hilt shape and decorations. The major difference consists of the hafting with a bronze versus an organic grip.

Not unimportant however, are the hilt-plate blades from the Carpathians of a more modest design. These blades have a round or trapezoidal hilt shape, lacking decorations and a bronze hilt. The blades are often associated with the earliest influences from the Tumulus culture  and appear to be related based on a similar sword crafting tradition as similar casting and hafting methods have been used. Examples consist of similar hilt shapes and the use of ring rivets to attach an organic grip. The Tumulus culture appears to have played a central role toawards both the Tell cultures in the Carpathians as well as the Nordic Bronze Age.

The aim is to shed additional light on the relationship between the Carpathian and Nordic variants by enabling direct comparisons through material analysis. Thanks to permission by the Hungarian National Museum, the Budapest History Museum and the Oradea City Museum we have been privileged to add 11 relevant hilt blades from Hungary including one variant from Romania with a bronze grip of type Apa, variant Oradea.