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

[hrvsomerville]

Originally Posted by Teisani

Even though the blade is missing, the hilt is so nice, with the guard having that typical shape. Amazing how consistent these swords are in having that little bump detail on the guard, that mid-swelling in the handle. The contraction for the lower two fingers, which falcatas also poses, yet Italic/Etruscan examples seem to lack.

How would you characterize a Macedonia type vs. a Greek type? What are their distinguishing features?

Another key characteristic I've noticed on these types is the notch in the handle right before the blade, easily seen on this example. All of these consistent features are factors in how I personally classify the "Macedonian" type: the bird head, usually with gems as eyes, the tapering shape of the handle as you described, the solid iron grip, the guard with the characteristic bump, the notch before the blade, a long blade with a slight curve and wider end, and a ridge originating from the notch on the handle but continuing out further from the flat edge of the blade the further from the handle it gets. And I guess a sharpened edge on the last third of the back of the blade is also characteristic, though it's harder to tell from just the pictures how many of these have that.

Maybe calling it "Macedonian" is misleading, despite most examples apparently coming from Macedonian sites or graves. I mentioned my theory above of all of these characteristics being a hallmark of a contemporary craftsman/workshop, and I think the King Seuthes III example gives some credibility to it — it shares many of these characteristics (the blade looks different but it was heavily reconstructed), and King Seuthes III was a king of Thrace while it was subjugated by Macedonia, and soon after Alexander the Great died he rebelled against the Macedonians. So at some point maybe these swords were being commissioned by opposing armies?

Originally Posted by Teisani

Although on this one the blade is almost straight, the handle is much more canted/curved. So the effect should probably the same. I'm guessing the blade tip is missing. Otherwise, I'm getting "parang' vibes coming from it


I think you should post it. The larger the sample size, the better. This one from the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins in France had me scratching my head, so I hesitated to post it. Its proportions seem strange. Any thoughts?
Attachment 232169
Source: http://myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.39375.html

Here's the makhaira example I was talking about, and another "Thracian" kopis, both of which fall outside my "Macedonian" classification but still share enough characteristics that make me want to describe them as Greek. They share some characteristics with this example I posted above, mainly the handle with rivets that would have secured an organic material, and the horse head. Both of these are from private collections, so the data isn't very reliable, but it's interesting that the "makhaira" on the left is completely straight and even longer than the typical Macedonian kopis (which probably would have been used by the Macedonian companion cavalry) — I wonder if it has a single edge or not. The other example comes from the Vassil Bojkov collection, and it's hard to tell how much of it is original, if any. I think we can reliably say the wood was a recent restoration, and I suspect the blade might be modern too. Maybe it is just the iron handle that is original?

What's interesting though is that this example you posted has a similarly-wide/thick guard to these two examples. The typical Macedonian examples have much more pointy guards. What do you think?

[Teisani]

I found a high resolution photo of the Vasil Bozhkov Museum (Васил Божков) makhaira. It says "makhaira sword of the 4th century BC, with a unique hilt with an exquisite hilt representing the figure of a galloping horse with a copper-inlaid bridle".


Mahaira from Zlatinitsa - Malomirovo

2. Mahaira from Zlatinitsa - Malomirovo

The Iron Sword /Inv. No. NAIM – 8621, Reg. 2/ was discovered in situ in 2005 during regular archaeological surveys of the Big Mound between the villages of Malomirovo and Zlatinitsa, Elhovsko by the team of the "Strandja" Archaeological Expedition, led by Daniela Agre. The sword was part of the rich funeral gifts of a Thracian ruler. It was placed next to his left arm. It is forged from a single piece of metal. Its dimensions are: length 81 cm, incl. handle 13.6 cm long, maximum blade width 6.5 cm. The handle is a combination of bone and wood, shaped like the head of a bird of prey. It was placed in a wooden scabbard. Typologically, it belongs to the swords - mahairi /crooked single-edged sword/, also known by the Thracian name "skalme" and by the ancient Greek name "kopis", and according to the archaeological material in the grave, its dating is the beginning of the 2nd half of the 4th century BC This type of personal assault weapon is one of the primary close combat weapons in Thrace. The mahairata is seen as a typical Thracian weapon, mentioned by ancient authors such as Homer, Herodotus and Thucydides, also depicted on the monuments of the Thoreutics and in tomb frescoes. The closest analogues of this sword are the swords from the Bashova Mogila and the Great Mogila at Duvanlii, as well as two mahairs from sub-tomb burials from the necropolis of Kabyle. The significance of this sword lies in the fact that, as part of the funeral gifts, according to the discoverer and researcher Daniela Agre, it belonged to the first-born son of the Thracian king Kerseblept - Iolaus. It is currently stored in the NAIM fund at the BAS.

More info about the Bulgarian finds here



Plus a few more, regarding which I have no further info.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kabile_001.jpg

[Teisani]

This is not necesarily related to kopises.
If you like ancient objects, but don't have the budget to travel around, then this flickr account might interest you.
Enjoy! https://www.flickr.com/photos/dandiffendale/

This one is very nice as well
https://www.flickr.com/photos/prof_r.../albums/page10