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2nd March 2016, 07:54 PM | #1 |
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An unusual Shaska
This just arrived. I've had time to measure and photograph it, but not much else. LOA: 40.25", LOB: 35". It is my first Shaska. It is one of the edged weapons on my "must have" list. I took a risk buying it. I don’t know much about these. I do know that you don’t often see them with cross-guards. Or at least I don’t. The hilt is bifurcated and I believe horn, but could also be wood. The blade is stamped on the spine with what looks like a makers mark. It appears to be a “V” and a dot. I keep thinking I see a pattern in the steel, but am not certain. No scabbard. The seller thought it was 19c Ottoman. I'm hoping someone here can help determine it's origin.
All comments welcome and appreciated. TIA! Harry |
2nd March 2016, 08:01 PM | #2 |
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I believe the seller was correct. The guard was taken from a late 19th century Ottoman military pattern, and the crescent on the pommel is certainly consistent with an Ottoman use as well. There seems to have been a lot of variation and leeway in 19th century military patterns in the Empire and it is a topic I am not familiar with at all. There is a book on Ottoman military sword patterns by Branko Bogdanovic, but it is in Russian and not easily available from major online book retailers.
Teodor |
2nd March 2016, 10:10 PM | #3 |
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Wow! Harry, good call!!
While of course this is not a 'shashka' per se', It certainly is an anomaly which is likely in the spectrum of variants as Ottoman forces were being 'westernized' as well as the possibility of this being aligned with the Caucasian and Balkan forces of the Ottomans. The clefted pommel with the characteristic shashka profile as well as the blade, which seems compellingly like East European (often Hungarian) forms which also were often seen on shashkas, suggest possible association in Janissary units (?) or those using Caucasian forces. As Teodor well notes, the guard, though incongruent, looks like an Ottoman military type. There have been numbers of these unusual hybrids coming from Ottoman ranks, and one other type I think of is the sabre which for all intents and purposes like a kilij or pala with a stirrup type knuckleguard, and these were 19th century as well. Excellent example !!! |
3rd March 2016, 12:23 AM | #4 | |
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On the other hand....it could have also been a war trophy captured during one of the militry conflicts between the Ottomans/Turkish forces and the Russians that was later Ottomanized a bit by its new Ottoman/Turkish owner with the addition of a guard and cresent. There are some examples of Ottoman mounted shashkas that I have seen, it would have been helpful if Harrys new sword had come with a scabbard as well. Last edited by estcrh; 3rd March 2016 at 05:10 AM. |
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3rd March 2016, 02:43 AM | #5 | |
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Estcrh, thanks for the great insight and for the agreement with my observation about the Caucasians (Circassians) in Ottoman service. As I had noted, "it is not a shashka per se'" thus NOT actually a shashka but a weapon composite using the general form plus crossguard. Agree, a scabbard always is helpful when evaluating these kinds of composite items...but this one still very intriguing. |
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3rd March 2016, 03:50 AM | #6 |
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There is a long ( and often pretty vicious) argument about the origins of shashka. The blade is relatively simple: early Circassian blades were mostly European, very light, but later Daghestani ones could be quite heavy.
But the origin of the eared guard-less handle is still a mystery. My guess is that it stems from the Turkish yataghan ( pure IMHO) If so, re-fitting Caucasian shashka with an Ottoman crossguard might not have been such an unnatural idea for the owner and exiled Circassians ( muhadjirs) seem to be a natural group for the mix of an old and the new traditions. |
3rd March 2016, 05:09 AM | #7 | |
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Here is an example of a shashka with Ottoman type mounts. Last edited by estcrh; 3rd March 2016 at 05:27 AM. |
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3rd March 2016, 09:08 AM | #8 | |
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Harry, the mark is a number v., 70 could be anything, regiment number or inventory number... Best, Kubur |
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3rd March 2016, 12:33 PM | #9 | |
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