Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 14th September 2019, 03:58 AM

This is an EXCELLENT topic! and you are more than eminently qualified to discuss these most interesting versions of these shashkas. Seeing these has prompted me to take the liberty of offering a review of your new outstanding book, "Edged Weapons of Afghanistan: 19th-20th c". ...on a separate thread.

The questions that come to mind, such as are Afghan shaskas really 'shashka's'? were they influenced by Russian or Caucasian shashkas? etc. are the kinds of questions that have long percolated through the arms community.

I acquired some time ago a shashka which was attributed to Uzbekistan, but had a scabbard with the long fluted silver tip which seems characteristic on Afghan paluoars. It was honestly hard to ascertain whether it was indeed Uzbek or Afghan, and the hybridization of these in these contiguous regions virtually render any specific classification almost impossible.

We could say, 'one could almost write a book on the possibilities in studying weapons of these regions'!!

Well you did!!! Congratulations!!! Nicely done.

14th September 2019, 03:58 AM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,735	This is an EXCELLENT topic! and you are more than eminently qualified to discuss these most interesting versions of these shashkas. Seeing these has prompted me to take the liberty of offering a review of your new outstanding book, "Edged Weapons of Afghanistan: 19th-20th c". ...on a separate thread. The questions that come to mind, such as are Afghan shaskas really 'shashka's'? were they influenced by Russian or Caucasian shashkas? etc. are the kinds of questions that have long percolated through the arms community. I acquired some time ago a shashka which was attributed to Uzbekistan, but had a scabbard with the long fluted silver tip which seems characteristic on Afghan paluoars. It was honestly hard to ascertain whether it was indeed Uzbek or Afghan, and the hybridization of these in these contiguous regions virtually render any specific classification almost impossible. We could say, 'one could almost write a book on the possibilities in studying weapons of these regions'!! Well you did!!! Congratulations!!! Nicely done.