Hello Tim,
I am glad you joined us, as I have always wanted to learn more about early sabres, because they are the weapon that has always fascinated me the most. No irony intended, I am serious. I like your suggestion that sabres should be classified according to hilt and blade characteristics, rather than the surrounding objects in the burial, because this latter approach does not take into account heirloom blades, that survived for centuries and trophies, which could have been taken from neighboring peoples.
The picture I have attached is from Varna's Archaeological Museum and the display features sabres and palashes found in nowadays North-Eastern Bulgaria. They are dated VIII-X centuries, which was South-Eastern Bulgaria back then, if the dating is correct. What would your comments on them be, with regards to dating, origin, etc.?
Thanks,
Teodor
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