Southern India sword?

Jim McDougall · 4th July 2015, 05:31 PM

The triple fuller trade blades are well known from Solingen end of 18th c. and these were well known in India, especially in Deccani areas as these states often used German mercenary forces and arms. Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan were key examples, and the swords known as 'alemani').

The distinction between South and North India in classifying weapons is constantly compromised by the often vaguely applied use of the term Deccan. There are various perspectives on whether this is a geographic or cultural application, and there were profound connections between the Deccani regions considered Southern and those to the Northwest .
There lies part of the conundrum of regionally classifying Indian arms in so many instances.
The axiom I was once told, 'weapons have no geographic boundaries' always reminds me of this in all manner of ethnographic studies. The only real solution is often preponderance and or reliable provenance .

4th July 2015, 05:31 PM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	The triple fuller trade blades are well known from Solingen end of 18th c. and these were well known in India, especially in Deccani areas as these states often used German mercenary forces and arms. Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan were key examples, and the swords known as 'alemani'). The distinction between South and North India in classifying weapons is constantly compromised by the often vaguely applied use of the term Deccan. There are various perspectives on whether this is a geographic or cultural application, and there were profound connections between the Deccani regions considered Southern and those to the Northwest . There lies part of the conundrum of regionally classifying Indian arms in so many instances. The axiom I was once told, 'weapons have no geographic boundaries' always reminds me of this in all manner of ethnographic studies. The only real solution is often preponderance and or reliable provenance .