Kopis/Κοπίς & Makhaira/Μάχαιρα (Greek & Etruscan)

[hrvsomerville]

Originally Posted by Teisani

Excellent finds! Thank you!



Would you consider a kopis blade on a xiphos hilt still a kopis? What about a xiphos blade on a kopis hilt? To be fair some kopis examples have almost straight blades, the Prodromi example and this one, with a bit more work, look almost like xiphos blades.
I would argue that the only remaining distinguishing feature of a kopis, as opposed to a xiphos, might not be the forward curvature of the blade, but the asymmetric hilt. Actually, not the entire hilt even, sometimes just the hook shape at the end. Here are two examples with symmetric guards, but hooked ends.

Attachment 232138
Attachment 232139

Actually you can find a nice contrast between the two types in the Tomb of Lyson and Kallikles example you posted.
Attachment 232141Attachment 232142 Attachment 232150
Source:
https://x-legio.com/en/wiki/kopis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A...de04a5a180.jpg
https://hetairoi.de/en/kopis-prodromi

I think those two blades might look like xiphos blades because they're more straight than other examples, but they do still have a slight curve, and appear to have more weight towards the end of the blade, both of which factors would contribute to it having the moment of inertia of an axe. They also likely both are single edged (except for maybe the top third of the blade, like Parnell describes), in contrast to a xiphos.

There does seem to be a grey area, but instead of classifying one as a kopis by the asymmetrical handle base I would still say the blade is more the defining feature. I like Tarassuk & Blair's classification, for example: a makhaira is generally a single-edged blade, and a kopis is a subvariant that is curved and meant to "cut" or "chop" as implied by its definition in ancient Greek. I have a hard time imaging that the Thracian example in that Bulgarian museum would be described as a kopis despite its characteristic handle just because it looks made more for thrusting than slashing. Although even that is an assumption because maybe it also is single-edged and has a moment of inertia similar to a short axe — it's hard to tell from the pictures.

Essentially, I think how they would have used the blades dictates what they would have called them, and it's not any one of these characteristics that would have defined a kopis, but some set of all of them; the asymmetrical handle helps keep the sword in hand when slashing, and the single-edged, forward curving blade with the moment of inertia of an axe helps deliver a slashing blow. For all we know, the asymmetrical handle might have been slapped onto the blade of a xiphos because it was comfortable, or a status symbol, or the hallmark of a contemporary craftsman/workshop — and maybe that's what the Thracian example from Bulgaria is.