Question about integral bolsters

Emanuel · 26th August 2013, 11:15 PM

Hello,

A question has been bugging me for a long time now.

Where does the integral bolster on bladed weapons come from?

By integral bolster I mean that the blade, bolster and tang are all formed from one piece. Simplistically, the bolster is produced when the blade is roughly formed. Two steps are made in the stock metal. The blade is drawn to shape on one side, the tang on the other, leaving a portion of thicker material between blade and tang.

Why it exists can be explained by the need to reinforce the blade where it is weakest, subjected to the most stress.

It exists on swords and spears in the East and South-Sast Asian context. But when does this feature enter European and west Asian bladesmithing technique?

The integral bolster was not a feature of the Bronze Age, or the classical Greco-Roman period. Neither the machaira, nor the kopis, Dacian falx or the Thracian Romphaia had such a feature.

In the past, whenever I picked on this feature I was told not to worry about it, that it is know and it is just there. Whether or not a sword had an integral bolster was irrelevant.

As far as I can think however, only four weapon shapes in the Mediterranean sphere share this feature in pre-20th century times:

- the Balkan karakulak
- the Kabyle flyssa
- the Laz biçag (Black Sea Yatagan)
- Central - east Anatolian yataghan

The dated examples of the swords listed above, gleamed from this forum and from dealer databases range from 1827 on the Kabyle flyssa, 1841 on the Anatolian yataghans, 1876 on the Bulgarian karakulak, and 1888 on the Laz biçag.

All other Ottoman yataghan have a decorative bolster or ferule that is not an integral part of the blade. The oldest yataghan, produced in 1526 for Suleiman the Magnificent does not have an integral bolster. It has a bolster similar to those of Central Asian swords like the khukri and the saylaawa (khyber sword).

So where does the integral bolster come from? What other blade types have it? Is it purely a 19th-century Anatolian development? What is the timeline of its adoption?

Cheers!
Emanuel

26th August 2013, 11:15 PM	#1
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	Question about integral bolsters Hello, A question has been bugging me for a long time now. Where does the integral bolster on bladed weapons come from? By integral bolster I mean that the blade, bolster and tang are all formed from one piece. Simplistically, the bolster is produced when the blade is roughly formed. Two steps are made in the stock metal. The blade is drawn to shape on one side, the tang on the other, leaving a portion of thicker material between blade and tang. Why it exists can be explained by the need to reinforce the blade where it is weakest, subjected to the most stress. It exists on swords and spears in the East and South-Sast Asian context. But when does this feature enter European and west Asian bladesmithing technique? The integral bolster was not a feature of the Bronze Age, or the classical Greco-Roman period. Neither the machaira, nor the kopis, Dacian falx or the Thracian Romphaia had such a feature. In the past, whenever I picked on this feature I was told not to worry about it, that it is know and it is just there. Whether or not a sword had an integral bolster was irrelevant. As far as I can think however, only four weapon shapes in the Mediterranean sphere share this feature in pre-20th century times: - the Balkan karakulak - the Kabyle flyssa - the Laz biçag (Black Sea Yatagan) - Central - east Anatolian yataghan The dated examples of the swords listed above, gleamed from this forum and from dealer databases range from 1827 on the Kabyle flyssa, 1841 on the Anatolian yataghans, 1876 on the Bulgarian karakulak, and 1888 on the Laz biçag. All other Ottoman yataghan have a decorative bolster or ferule that is not an integral part of the blade. The oldest yataghan, produced in 1526 for Suleiman the Magnificent does not have an integral bolster. It has a bolster similar to those of Central Asian swords like the khukri and the saylaawa (khyber sword). So where does the integral bolster come from? What other blade types have it? Is it purely a 19th-century Anatolian development? What is the timeline of its adoption? Cheers! Emanuel Attached Images Last edited by Emanuel; 26th August 2013 at 11:29 PM.