saudi executioners sword

[Bill]

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

I have one problem with the sword. After cutting off so many heads the blade would show signs of wear such as nicks or the the blade itself would be worn down from constant resharpening. I remember reading that in Europe the swords used in beheadings were a big hassle to maintain due to the fact that they had to be resharpened after every use.

Lew

Would a well made blade nick on bone? I don't think the Saudi's have a perfect history of one cut. The proper technique may be more important then a razor sharp blade. Don't forget that there were a number of headhunting groups that didn't use swords but used sharpened shell & split bamboo. There was a PBS show on Romans executed by Romans in England; the remains showed some had several whacks while others showed one clean cut. Bad executions or ordered that way?