Having just purchased a kastane from Oriental Arms
(
http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=6813), I spent much of yesterday reading this long thread on Sinalese weapons,
and the one on the kastane in particular.
(
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...hlight=kastane)
With a certain amount of contemplation and consideration of the various opinions expressed, I think that the four questions Jim introduced at the start of the second thread were pretty well covered, except perhaps the third point:
“The kastane appears to have developed from earlier combat weapons into the more regalia oriented court sword form in high embellishment. Hoping to establish some type of chronological line of development.”
At the risk of tipping off another avalanche, I wonder what is known about the weapons of the second major ethnic group on Sri Lanka, the Tamils.
Also, I am guessing that the kastane is an item of such well conserved design that it is difficult to date individual pieces but I would be interested to hear opinions on the piece I have in route from Atzi.