I’m Roland Warzecha — professional illustrator and swordsman. The name Dimicator comes from the Latin for “sword fighter.” I share cutting-edge research into historical martial arts, focusing in particular on Viking and high medieval sword-and-shield combat. My work is carried out in collaboration with museums, fellow martial artists, and scholars around the world.
Prehistoric Sword Design
Geometry of the Nebra Twin Swords, 1600 BCHello fellow sword and (pre-)history enthusiasts, You may already have read about my recent trip to the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle. Together with Professor Harald Meller, I filmed several segments on historical and prehistoric arms and combat. Harald Meller and I did not part without making plans for further collaborative projects, including the testing of replica weapons and related research. One major focus will be on the earliest swords that appeared north of the Alps around 1600 BC — the very period in which the famous Nebra sky disc was deposited. Alongside the disc, two swords were buried as well. While the sky disc’s design and geometric layout have been extensively discussed in scholarly publications, the swords themselves have, surprisingly, never been subjected to a comparable analysis. I have now carried out such a study. I have constructed a Nebra sword using compass and straightedge. It turns out that the swords are based on a carefully conceived geometric layout. The base unit of my design is derived from the gripping hand. To connect reference points along the blade contour, I used dried willow twigs as a natural equivalent to French curves. Shape and measurements of the original swords match my geometric layout almost perfectly, as demonstrated in this short video:
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Dimicator
I’m Roland Warzecha — professional illustrator and swordsman. The name Dimicator comes from the Latin for “sword fighter.” I share cutting-edge research into historical martial arts, focusing in particular on Viking and high medieval sword-and-shield combat. My work is carried out in collaboration with museums, fellow martial artists, and scholars around the world.
Prehistoric Belief, Bronze Age Design and Imperial Remains Documenting a Late Bronze Age sword at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle. Hello fellow (pre-)history enthusiasts, from time to time, closer inspection of artefacts reveals patterns that are as simple as they are profound. At other times, new discoveries remind us how complex and layered our understanding of the past has become. This issue brings together both: geometry and belief, craftsmanship and power — and the enduring human...
Continuity in European Combat Arts? Hello fellow sword enthusiasts, researchers, and fighters, How did people actually fight in close combat 3,000 years ago—and how much of that knowledge survived into the age of the fechtbücher? Mycenaean imagery occassionally shows an overhand thrust known as oberstich in late medieval German combat treatises Recently, a viewer asked why I do not demonstrate the use of Bronze Age swords with what he called a “hammer grip” — essentially gripping the weapon...
Studying Originals, Recreating History Holding an original Bronze Age sword in your hands is always a moment of quiet astonishment. Hello archaeology aficionados, The ingenious design and ergonomics of these weapons never cease to amaze me. Thanks to the courtesy of Professor Harald Meller and Dr Jan-Heinrich Bunnefeld, I had the opportunity to examine several bronze swords at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, home of the world-famous Nebra Sky Disc. One of the grips that works really...