Hi Emanuel,
You may well be right, particularly about the history of the Kabyles. Couple more bits of information:
--Looking more at the Varangians, the Norse sagas talk about them bringing home apparently foreign equipment. They were, of course, famous for their axes, but conversely, during the Dark Ages, weapons were expensive, and the Norse went to Byzantium to get rich. They were almost certainly equipped partially or wholly with Byzantine weapons.
--I'm not clear on whether the weapons referred to as Rhomphaia changed over time, but at least into Roman times, there's a tradition of single-edged long swords, and I wouldn't be surprised if it carried over.
Best,
F
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