Kaskara

[Jack Fletcher]

Good Morning

Another offering for the group. This kaskra is another 34inch long bladed example, blade has good rigidity and nice weight to it. I was told that the panels engraved on it are a date of 1239 in Hijri years and also Victory from Allah and an imminent conquest, Give good tidings to the believers.

The pommel disc has mostly gone but still some there and overall its solidly constructed.

Again all comments welcome.

[Edster]

Nice kaskara. Likely imported blade. Any marks under langets? Being rigid it wasn't made of lorry spring steel widely used post-British conquest. Don't know how to assess cracks on top of crossguard.

The 1239/1824 date could commemorate the end of the Turko-Egyptian 1820-24 conquest of Sudan, though it may not actually be from that date, but why not? Blade looks too clean to be that old. See Wiki article re the first conquest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turco-...0%E2%80%931824)

Ed

[Jack Fletcher]

Originally Posted by Edster

Nice kaskara. Likely imported blade. Any marks under langets? Being rigid it wasn't made of lorry spring steel widely used post-British conquest. Don't know how to assess cracks on top of crossguard.

The 1239/1824 date could commemorate the end of the Turko-Egyptian 1820-24 conquest of Sudan, though it may not actually be from that date, but why not? Blade looks too clean to be that old. See Wiki article re the first conquest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turco-...0%E2%80%931824)

Ed

Hi Ed
Once again really appreciate the reply. My camera skills as you can tell arent great but took a few extra pictures that might help with the cracks. It looks like someone's given it a clean not so long again and think they have got over zealous with it. Cant see any markings behind the langets but like with the other the first 3/4inch of blade isnt sharpened.

[mariusgmioc]

I had an Indian Pata sword with a blade looking exactly the same.

Could it be an Indian blade?

[shayde78]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

I had an Indian Pata sword with a blade looking exactly the same.

Could it be an Indian blade?

Was your Pata blade flexible (as many, but not all, are)? Or, was it rigid, like the one on this kaskara?

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by shayde78

Was your Pata blade flexible (as many, but not all, are)? Or, was it rigid, like the one on this kaskara?

It was quite flexible. So maybe only the appearance is similar.

[Jim McDougall]

The occurance of 'kaskara' blades on pata swords of S. India seems to be an occasional phenomenon, and here is an example I came across back in the late 70s. While I have seen evidence of blades from India come up in North African situations, having these European trade blades travel from Sudan to India seems very unusual.

This blade has the typical sun, moon etc. of the European blades that came into N.Africa about mid 19th c. possibly earlier, and the blade is incredibly worn from the kind of sharpening done by tribesmen there.
The metalwork seems possibly of the sort done about turn of century, and this may have been for the ceremonial dancing of groups in S. India, Kerala?
How this pairing came about..who knows

[ariel]

Apparently. very flexible Pata blades were popular among the Mahratta irregular cavalry, the Ghoracharra.
They attacked their enemy en masse, delivered one or two strikes and rode back in a hurry.
The flexibility of the blade decreased its lethality, but prevented it going deep into body and easy to recover.

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by ariel

Apparently. very flexible Pata blades were popular among the Mahratta irregular cavalry, the Ghoracharra.
They attacked their enemy en masse, delivered one or two strikes and rode back in a hurry.
The flexibility of the blade decreased its lethality, but prevented it going deep into body and easy to recover.

Exactly.

The flexibility also prevented the full transfer of the shock to the elbow and shoulder of the wielder in case the blade hit a shield or a piece of armor.