Sword for identification

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

I go along with Iain and his astute reference to the 'cuff' etc.
It seems to me that this resembles a Kirghiz (Kyrgyz) type sword that I saw in a panel of line drawings in a book by Michael Gorelik. In research on the swords of Steppes tribes years ago David Nicolle recommended him, I dont have the book handy so cant recall title.

Similar swords to these are in David Nicolle's works, and there are various types of these in similarity. These tribal groups' history is complex but fascinating and it seems were involved in the evolution of the saber.
I am wondering if the curious curving of the blade on this one has to do with the ceremonial 'killing' of the sword being placed in burials. Not sure of the extent of this practice in these Steppes contexts.

While these swords can in many perspectives be seen as 'Oriental' or 'Asian' they do have aspects that play into European history with respect to the assimilation of these tribes into such populations such as noted in Hungary etc.

This is not a steppes sword or design as we'd classically define it. Rather it filters out of Persia and finds common use among both Islamic and Byzantine forces perhaps as early as the 8th century but certainly by the 9th (see Bashir's Arts of the Islamic Knight for examples) . This one was likely in Crimea because the byzantines controlled the south of the peninsula into the late middle ages. Nothing particularly tribal here. These swords are all over Byzantine wall paintings and art. I've seen them turn up even in Poland. One was uncovered a few years ago there. Just a few references...

Aleksić M. 2010. Some typological features of Byzantine spatha. Зборник радова Византолошког института XLVII, 121-136

Bakradze, I., 2011 Arms and Armory of Georgian Warriors during the 10th - 11th CC. (According to the Archaeological and Written Sources), Works of the Institute of the History of Georgia. Tbilisi, 4. pp. 71–74, 89

Baranov G. V., 2011 Byzantine (Mediterranean) 9th — 11th century swords with sleeve cross-guards, Materials in Archaeology and History of Ancient and Medieval Crimea, Archaeology, History, Numismatics, Sigillography and Epigraphy volume 9 Moscow Tyumen Nizhnevartovsk, 248-283

Bashir M. 2008. The Arts of the Muslim Knight: The Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection. Milano: Skira

Kamburov, S., 2017 Early Medieval “Arabic” Swords in Bulgarian Lands Today, Civilization Boundaries Volume 25, Number 3, 268-297

Rabovyanov, D. 2011, Early Medieval Sword Guards from Bulgaria, Archeologia Bulgarica XV, 2, 73-86

Yotov, V. 2011 A new Byzantine type of swords (7th — 11th centuries). Nish i Vizantiјa IX, 113-124

It's important not to confuse these swords with steppes sabers and blades with a 'tonkou' something entirely different in construction.