COLD ARMS
FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF THE CITY MUSEUM VRŠAC

MAY - SEPTEMBER 2005

The exhibition “Cold Steels from the Collections of the Town Museum Vršac” consists of 155 objects in three departments of the Museum: the Department of Archaeology, the Department of History and the Department of Ethnology. Chronologically it covers the period from the Bronze Age till the Second World War.

Different types of swords, daggers, knives and spears are included in this exhibition, dating from the Bronze Age, the period of the Iron Age and the times of the migrations of people, Sarmatians, Middle Ages and the period of the new age, till the middle of the 20th century. Different types of arrow points are represented at the exhibition, mostly Slovenian, as well as the arrow points for the cross-bows from the 15th and 16th centuries, which were found during the archaeological researches near the Tower of Vršac.

Sabres are very attractive objects at the exhibition, dating back from the 13th century until the 30's of the 20th century. Among them are the Turkish sabres, Hussar, Austrian and Austro-Hungarian, cavalry, infantry and officer sabres, Circassian, Soviet and Serbian sabres, as well as the sabres from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia . The collection of yataghans (long Turkish daggers), is also very important, originating from the 18th and 19th centuries, made in different arsenal centres, starting with Constantinople, Foča, Prizren and other places throughout the Balkans.

Spiked (fighting) clubs and maces are represented by the specimens made of bronze, iron and brass, dating from the 13th to the 20th century. Numerous bayonets for different kinds of guns are also represented at the exhibition, starting from the 18th century, till the middle of the 20th century

The protection weapons are represented with the parts of cuirassier equipment such as the Hungarian, Hussar helmet from the beginning of the 17th century, horseman breast armour “kiras” from the 16th century and helmets from the beginning of the 20th century. Among the horseman equipment the spurs from the 13th to the 15th century are exhibited, as well as the stirrups from the 17th and the 18th centuries.

Especially attractive is the collection of 24 specimens of weapons from Indonesia and Oceania , which consists of spears, arrows, a bow, a shield and a bludgeon.