Well said Rand! It seems that a very wise man once told me that weapons do not have geographic boundaries! That would seem to imply geopolitical and cultural boundaries were included.
I have always believed that even weapons quite basic in form often subtlely carry art in the sense of certain features or symbolism. These of course may have been derived from other cultures or influences and in many cases have no known purpose other than long forgotten symbolism or vestigial presence.
One example would be the placement of notches in the back of the blade of Meditteranean knives which ended up being a feature in the famed Bowie knife. As far as is known, the reason for this feature has no pratical purpose and any symbolism is long forgotten, yet the early Bowies often carried the feature.
Best regards,
Jim
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