The article presents a new picture of sword fighting in Middle and Late Bronze Age Europe developed through the Bronze Age Combat Project. The project investigated the uses of Bronze Age swords, shields, and spears by combining integrated experimental archaeology and metalwork wear analysis. The research is grounded in an explicit and replicable methodology providing a blueprint for future experimentation with, and wear analysis of, prehistoric copper-alloy weapons. We present a four-step experimental methodology including both controlled and actualistic experiments. The experimental results informed the wear analysis of 110 Middle and Late Bronze Age swords from Britain and Italy. The research has generated new understandings of prehistoric combat, including diagnostic and undiagnostic combat marks and how to interpret them; how to hold and use a Bronze Age sword; the degree of skill and training required for proficient combat; the realities of Bronze Age swordplay including the frequency of blade-on-blade contact; the body parts and areas targeted by prehistoric sword fencers; and the evolution of fighting styles in Britain and Italy from the late 2nd to the early 1st millennia BC.All primary data discussed in the article are available as supplementary material (Appendix) so as to allow scrutiny and validation of the research results.

中文翻译：

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青铜时代的剑术：来自实验和磨损分析的新见解

本文介绍了通过青铜时代作战计划开发的欧洲中古铜时代晚期剑术的新景象。该项目通过结合综合的实验考古学和金属制品磨损分析，研究了青铜时代的剑，盾和矛的使用。这项研究基于一种明确且可复制的方法，为将来史前铜合金武器的实验和磨损分析提供了蓝图。我们提出了一个包含四个步骤的实验方法，包括受控实验和实际实验。实验结果为来自英国和意大利的110座中晚期青铜时代剑的磨损分析提供了依据。该研究对史前战斗产生了新的理解，包括诊断性和非诊断性战斗标记以及如何解释它们。如何持有和使用青铜时代的剑；熟练战斗所需的技能和训练程度；青铜时代剑术的现实情况，包括刀刃接触的频率；史前剑击者瞄准的身体部位和区域；以及公元前2世纪后期至1世纪初英国和意大利的战斗方式演变。本文中讨论的所有主要数据都可以用作补充材料（附录），以便对研究结果进行审查和验证。