VERY Unusual Marks on a Kaskara

[stephen wood]

...now, this is a quite old Kaskara which turned up at auction recently. As you can see, it has rather unusual marks (on both sides) - Magen David stamped with the same die and sets of Twig/Fly marks joined by Eyebrow marks (which the Catalogue described as scales)...

...the blade is 35 1/2", just under 2" at its widest. Flexible with a very shallow fuller extending halfway down. The crossguard has the bulbous quality which I have begun to associate with older examples.

I've never seen any marks like this on a Kaskara - has anyone else?

Many thanks, Stephen.

[katana]

Hi Stephen,

I have not seen these markings before...One of the 'obvious' interpretations of the, often called 'star of David' is an association with Judaism however, this is unlikely. The history of the symbol, according to some scholars, pre-dates the Israelites and is associated with the occult and Ancient Egypt.....

http://www.cephas-library.com/israel...nted_star.html

If they are correct (ie Ancient Egypt) then this symbolism would be known in and around Egypt, Sudan etc ,and perhaps , 'transported' via trading routes.

The 'eyelash' mark is commonly seen on Indian weapons....and the markings here seem to be a variation. Usually 3 dots, often arranged to form a triangle, are found either end of the 'eyelash' ...here it has the 'fly' mark (found on a number of Kasakara s etc from the region.) There are historical and trade connections between N.E. Africa and India (by sea) and the Arab trade routes overland so again, perhaps an adopted / adapted symbol.

Symbolism (assuming these are not 'makers marks) is notoriously hard to 'pin down' and are often open to interpretation .....these are my observations with no concrete evidence, I'm afraid.

Kind Regards David

[Jim McDougall]

I have not seen this grouping of markings before either, and they do present some most interesting possibilities. I had written an explanation earlier, but it seems somehow that post was transmitted to the 'Island of Lost Luggage' .

The so called 'twig' markings in the top set of markings are from these types of marks well known on Italian blades appearing in various arrangements and later copied in degree on Solingen blades. It remains unclear how these may have been applied on native blades and to what degree.

It seems that these markings seen here reflect a theme which seems to occur in various perspectives, that of cosmic symmetry, and which may be the case with the well known dual crescent moons (dukari) on Tuareg and many Sudanese blades. This seems to be carried even further in these markings, where the paired twig marks are joined by a rocker often associated with the dentated pairs of marks noted by David and known as eyelashes.

In this case, these are described as scales, which goes directly to the theme which seems apparant here, that of balance. In Islamic doctrines, al Mizra, the scales, are an important theme and applied in many writings and studies.
Again, balance is a key tenet, and here these markings symbolic of scales appear as paired symbols to carry out that representation.

The six pointed star, as David has noted, of course is typically associated with the Magen David, or Jewish star, but as he well notes, the symbol has been in use in many cultures and religions long predating its use in Judaism. In actuality it is most often seen as interlocking triangles, and characteristically represents balance and harmony. It was a well known symbol used in early times by the Ottomans as early as the 11th century in principalities known as Beyliks, and was used in North Africa in the regencies in Algeria and Tunis in the 16th century and of course probably later.

With this symbol well established in Ottoman parlance and in keeping with the Islamic attention to balance in so many perspectives, perhaps these symbols were incorporated into these markings in that sense. As noted, this does seem to be an earlier example, and it is worth noting that one point of entry for blades into the North African trade sphere was through regions in Tunis and Algiers. Possibly these may have been 'acceptance stamps' of some sort, or possibly later as makers marks, which were often carried on in tradition much as they were in Europe.

While the symettrical application pertaining to balance and harmony seems plausibly placed with these observations in my opinion and at this point, it is hard to say whether the purpose was talismanically or religiously placed or simply makers or acceptance marks of quality.

The attached coin photo is a Moroccan coin c 1873 showing use of the star.

A fascinating example, and I would like to hear more ideas on these markings from out there in the think tank!!!

All best regards,
Jim

[TVV]

For what it is worth, the six pointed star of David is often found on yataghan blades.

Judaism is the closest religion to Islam, so the existence of shared symbols is not that surprising.

From what I have read, Jim's explanation of the star as two triangles is spot on, with the number three holding a sacred meaning in the Muslim tradition, as it is interpreted to refer to the unity of Allah, Mohammad and Ali.

The circle with a dot symbolizes Heaven. However, there are no dots in the center of the sword markings, unlike in the star on the coin. There is no doubt however, that the Star of David is loaded with apotropaic significance and serves as talisman, a shield of sorts.

Another explanation could be as an attempt to copy the symbol from the blades, imported to Abyssinia from Britain, where it is present on the proofs at the base of the blade. If true, the marking would serve a dual purpose as a talisman and a stamp of quality.

Regards,
Teodor

[Michael Blalock]

That's a very nice sword. That continuous taper is also unusual for Kaskaras. Keep in mind that there were many jews nearby Ethiopia where this blade may have come from and there was also a jewish community in Khartoum, no doubt of artisans and traders.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Michael Blalock

That's a very nice sword. That continuous taper is also unusual for Kaskaras. Keep in mind that there were many jews nearby Ethiopia where this blade may have come from and there was also a jewish community in Khartoum, no doubt of artisans and traders.

Excellent and very astute observations Michael, thank you, and thought it a good idea to look further into the possibilities as well. As you note, there was an Jewish ethnic group in Ethiopia whom I found have become known as the Falashas, however they are more preferably called by thier name for themselves, the Beta Israel.

This group were largely artisans and craftsmen and apparantly locally regarded rather derisively in a caste oriented perspective, with the term 'falasha' having a meaning something like 'outcasts' in Ge'ez, the early language in Ethiopia. They were apparantly blacksmiths for the Christian rulers in then Abyssinia, and as such of course did make some weapons and mount blades traded into the regions. It does seem that culturally this kind of regard was often held toward blacksmiths in many cases.
It is noted that the area they were largely situated in was mostly around Gondar.

The presence of a Jewish community in Khartoum is not surprising, and it is well known that Jewish artisans and smiths were present in Morocco as well, and often were present on many trade caravans across the Sahara. Despite these pronounced presences, it is doubtful that the Magen David appeared on weapons marked as Jewish symbols in my opinion.

Though the kaskara is known in Ethiopia, particularly in Danakil regions and in Eritrea, I am personally not familiar with any actually made in Ethiopia nor by the Beta Israel. It is known that many trade blades from England of course did have the familiar Star of Solomon (usually in the Wilkinson proof stamp surround) as well noted by Teodor, and the Lion of Judah was typically on the blades, but I dont know of any marked in this double stamped manner.


As always, looking for other variations, exceptions.

All the best,
Jim

Teodor, thank you for the kind note on my comments as well