Fearn:
"These blades were made by a smith, either for a local security guard, a bandit, or (most likely) a militia armory, and this is the kind of thing that some foot-soldier actually carried and used with his bow"
And how do we know that? And, what difference does it make for our understanding of Chinese weapons? And let imagine a Khyber with a bent blade, how would it affect our understanding of Afghani martial arts or warfare, beyond saying " Hmmm, peculiar"? Y. Miller, in his book about Caucasian arms in the Hermitage, shows a khanda blade attached to a Georgian handle. How does it expand our understanding of the Caucasian martial tradition, besides accepting the fact that a khanda blade managed to find its way to the Caucasus?
I am not against posting it or liking it. But glaring exceptions are not informative. There are plenty of Frankenswords. They are curious, but not a "teachable moment". I just disagree that these examples prove "how much more there is to know about Chinese weaponry" .
|