Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

ariel · 1st October 2006, 09:28 PM

As part of my reading of the book" Arms and Armor in Iran", I watched the video of Mr. Khorasani's lecture at the Iranian Study Group http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...03819897907514
In this lecture he made three points that puzzled me, and I would like to be educated.
1. He says that the Roman Gladius Hispaniensis was a purely stabbing weapon and that Roman soldiers were forbidden to use it for slashing. Gladius was a double-edged sword; if it was intended to use as a purely stabbing weapon, what was the purpose of sharp edges? What soldier would even bother to sharpen the sword if the regulations forbade him to use it for slashing? Even Wickipedia cites Livy attesting to the slashing use of the Gladius. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladius
2. He also asserts that the British cavalry was divided into "stabbing" units and the "slashing" ones. The "stabbers" used straight swords that were known as "wristbreakers".
My impression was that the " Wristbreaker" was not a British straight-bladed sword ( palasch), but an American, pattern 1840, curved cavalry saber.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/fosc/weapons_info1.htm
3. He said that ancient Iranian art of casting bronze swords represented an incredibly sophisticated technique that cannot be reproduced even now. He challenged any MIT scientist or engineer to cast a similar sword.
It seems to me that over the centuries, bronze casting was very wide spread all over the world and that many bronze swords of a quality not lower than the old Iranian ones were made in many societies, including even almost-contemporary Africa. Further, thousands of bronze cannons and sculptures were cast (seemingly a more challenging task than a straight sword), cast bronze figurines of very intricate designs are sold in our local K-Mart and Wall Mart and hundreds of bronze swords are offered on E-bay from China on a daily basis. What was so special about Iranian bronze swords that MIT-trained engineers cannot repeat?

Taking into account Mr. Khorasani's impeccable reputation as a "sword maven", I cannot believe that his statements were based on anything but academic rigor, deep knowledge and utmost scientific integrity.
Thus, it is I who must be wrong.
Please explain to me where am I making mistakes?

1st October 2006, 09:28 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Questions about Mr. Khorasani's lecture As part of my reading of the book" Arms and Armor in Iran", I watched the video of Mr. Khorasani's lecture at the Iranian Study Group http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...03819897907514 In this lecture he made three points that puzzled me, and I would like to be educated. 1. He says that the Roman Gladius Hispaniensis was a purely stabbing weapon and that Roman soldiers were forbidden to use it for slashing. Gladius was a double-edged sword; if it was intended to use as a purely stabbing weapon, what was the purpose of sharp edges? What soldier would even bother to sharpen the sword if the regulations forbade him to use it for slashing? Even Wickipedia cites Livy attesting to the slashing use of the Gladius. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladius 2. He also asserts that the British cavalry was divided into "stabbing" units and the "slashing" ones. The "stabbers" used straight swords that were known as "wristbreakers". My impression was that the " Wristbreaker" was not a British straight-bladed sword ( palasch), but an American, pattern 1840, curved cavalry saber. http://www.nps.gov/archive/fosc/weapons_info1.htm 3. He said that ancient Iranian art of casting bronze swords represented an incredibly sophisticated technique that cannot be reproduced even now. He challenged any MIT scientist or engineer to cast a similar sword. It seems to me that over the centuries, bronze casting was very wide spread all over the world and that many bronze swords of a quality not lower than the old Iranian ones were made in many societies, including even almost-contemporary Africa. Further, thousands of bronze cannons and sculptures were cast (seemingly a more challenging task than a straight sword), cast bronze figurines of very intricate designs are sold in our local K-Mart and Wall Mart and hundreds of bronze swords are offered on E-bay from China on a daily basis. What was so special about Iranian bronze swords that MIT-trained engineers cannot repeat? Taking into account Mr. Khorasani's impeccable reputation as a "sword maven", I cannot believe that his statements were based on anything but academic rigor, deep knowledge and utmost scientific integrity. Thus, it is I who must be wrong. Please explain to me where am I making mistakes? Last edited by ariel; 1st October 2006 at 09:48 PM.