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Originally Posted by ariel
Pics V, XVII and LIX show Indian blades of archaic forms. these are illustrated in the Rawson's book only as siluettes: likely the blades themselves were not available. But here they are, in action, witnessed by the contemporary traveller!
Fascinating!!!!!
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Pic V - People so called Fartaquis. They inhabit the coast of Arabia. Very good horsemen and very belicose ( author's legend). With very beautyfull swords ( Duarte Barbosa) , they spend almost their life in war. they also fight as pay soldiers, like the Suitz. They use bows, lances, swords and laudeis=body armour ( Kings letter after Tristão da Cunha in 1508 ).
Pic XVII - Parsia People from the kingdom of Ormuz. Moors ( author´s legend). Persianos are men on horse, armed with all arms, garnished with well laboured swords ( Tomé Pires).
Pic LIX - People so called Chingalas, from the island of Ceylon, where cynamon comes from ( author's legend). It is normal that they use the rodela=round shield and the sword, once acording to Pyrard de Laval they fabricate all sorts of arms, like arquebuzes, swords, pikes, and rodelas, which are the best made and esteemed in India. They bear two and half span swords, which they call calacurras ( João Ribeiro, in the defence of Ceylon against the Dutch.