Sheaths, Scabbards and Grip Coverings

In this study there are presented and discussed the knife sheaths, sword scabbards and grip coverings from swords or daggers found in archaeological surveys and excavations carried out during the last hundred years in the town of Turku and at Turku Castle. The objects of this study were manufactured of leather, a significant raw material often called 'the plastic of the Middle Ages'. As personal equipment accompanying the owner, the artefacts of this study inevitably reflect the mentality and aesthetic values of their period and society. It is also asked where and by whom the objects were made, and who the users were.