Help identifying kaskara

[Iain]

Originally Posted by randallstorey

I've often wondered why he would make this assertion despite being so knowledgeable. Perhaps it was a current notion, along with the idea that medieval armaments could be purchased readily and cheaply up until the 1970s. I imagine upon inspection many of the latter would have been victorian reproductions which were handsome and were snatched up even though when they come to light now they are recognised as what they are. If so many medieval arms were kicking around a few decades ago, where did they come from and where are they now? I just don't believe that many survived.

Hi Randall,

I think you are spot on that this was simply the way of thinking at the time. There was an assumption that based on the appearance of the kaskara it must be derived from Medieval swords, then the crusader notion seemed obvious and of course once you established that wondering if you had a Medieval blade got a lot easier!

Not only were many items Victorian reproductions in my understanding an awful lot of kaskara blades got mated with Medieval style hilts and sold on as the genuine article.

Returning to your particular kaskara, I think has pretty much nailed this one down. A European blade for an Ethiopian saif repurposed in kaskara mounts. Any chance of photographs of the numbers and possible symbol in the same high quality as the shots you showed of the script on the blade? There could be a name or maker's mark stamped at the bottom of the forte near the tang but this sadly would probably be impossible to see without dismantling the hilt.

All the best,

Iain